Digimon Rewrite
by Chaos and Celestial
Summary: Deconstruction of Digimon, similar to Puella Magi Madoka Magica.  Rated M for graphic depiction of sensitive issues.
1. Book 1: Draft: Episode 01

DISCLAIMER: We don't own Digimon, we're fans and decided to write this, it's not for profit, just for fun and lulz. Though it is very dark. Also Hikari isn't ours, but a friend's, so credit to Psyshock for her, and to Bandai/Toei for Digimon.

Walking away from school, through the brisk air, feet crunching in the snow, Hikari Akarui couldn't quite get the hang of Canada. It was too cold here, and she'd do anything to be home. If she'd never left home, then maybe… she shook her head. No, can't think about them here. Show weakness. There'd be questions. Questions that she couldn't answer. And yet, why was she stopping? What was that yearning feeling in her chest? She turned, eyes almost devoid of light, and walked back, past the students; happy, laughing, talking in their alien accent and language. This feeling…

"Stop," a voice said. It was American. Screw them. "No, really, stop. You wouldn't want to end up like _them_, do you?"

"What…?" How the…? _Scared. Scared. Get away._

"Don't be scared," the boy was ginger, tanned and smiling broadly. He was teasing her, and yet, Hikari felt like her limbs were being held down. "Just walk away. This isn't the place for pretty little girls like you. So scram, get outta here, or else I might have to… Never mind. Please just leave."

"How did you…?" Hikari felt her eyes stinging.

"Sorry," he sighed. "I can't, I really can't. This isn't a joke… But I'll see you. You've got that scent about you." His choice of words confused Hikari, not less so than the feathers adorning his fiery hair, which fell down in dead-straight tumbles right to his mid-back. And then he walked behind the school. But Hikari didn't follow. She ran, feet thumping on the ground. She wasn't stupid… she didn't even want to know.

**Episode One: Forget Everything You Know**

_Tap. Tap. Tap. _David's fingers pounded the desk thoughtfully. He was tired, so tired that he couldn't lock onto what his tutor was saying. The Apple Mac sitting in front of him was saying there was some kind of error, flashing irritatingly, forever reminding him of its presence. Flash, flash, flash…

"Ah, screw it," he muttered, his voice under the hum of the many computers sitting around the room. "I can't pay attention anyway…" he found his fingers typing furiously onto the keyboard, discovering the site and opening it up. He sighed in relaxation; Hunting was barbaric and awful, but he was far from unused to it by now. The site was displaying a notice; there was a new hunter that had recently been contracted. David thought about _The Contractor _and hummed tunelessly, trying to conjure his image back up. He stayed a blur of black, large and intimidating. "Hikari Akarui?" he tried the name out. Japanese. He gasped sharply, thinking of the fierce hunter of the east, Kaoru Arakawa.

_Might as well check what he's doing… _David liked to check up on Kaoru; it was too much weight on his fragile mind not to. He was such a bastard.

**Kaoru Arakawa**

…_Discovered a new hunter in my area. Tsukaimon's injuries have healed. Destroyed some crates to get bullets. Full revolver. Will stop hunter._

DigiMemory Count: 27

"Twenty-Seven?" David exclaimed. Everyone turned around to look at him, craning their necks. Julie, the tutor was sighing, most unimpressed.

"Yes, David, of course there were twenty-seven camera developments. Because that makes so much _sense_," Julie sighed. "Please, I don't care what you're doing, but stop." David's mind flared softly, and an uncoordinated flame started burning in his chest. He was starting to sense a field.

"J-Julie…" he was trying to act sick, but it was no lie that the way he was alerted to Digital Fields was sickening, and even ten years wouldn't be enough to get over it.

"You've gone pale," Julie sighed. "I wasn't that angry with you…"

"No, I feel…" the flame turned into a fire- a full-blown field- "Really sick!" David dashed from his seat and Julie could only gape as he dashed past.

"G-Go to reception!" she yelled after him, awed by his escape, but he had looked sick… She wasn't about to go chasing him.

x x x

David felt the flames increase, a fierce heartburn that wouldn't stop, trying to tear him down as he ran towards the field. He lifted his phone, biting his lip as he ran (idiotically, not looking as he did so). The field was located near the local hospital; Good Hope.

_Zhane_! He thought, before tripping over his feet in his haste to get to the hospital before it was too late.

x x x

"Kumamon," a voice echoed numbly through the corridors as David ran through them. The hospital's walls had been eaten in ivy; some rooms had sprouted leaks, leaving rivers breaking the small-tiled ground. In each room there was a small voodoo doll; pin-less and not decorated in any way; sometimes there were multiple, laying in groups on the floor. David shuddered, knowing that these dolls were once people; people that would never check out.

Thundering through to the next corridor, David gasped, not checking his feet and catching them on a particularly large root that the ground had sprouted. He flew forwards, face-planting into the hard, shiny hospital floor.

"Zhane…?" he whispered. He wasn't dead. That was wonderful, yes, but he was kneeling beside a digimon, looking malicious. Was this better than him dying…? Yes. Yes. Because David would show him the ropes.

"David? It's you! I can't believe it!" Zhane grinned, dashing over. "You're a hunter?" His legs were working.

"Your legs…" Zhane, a hardened motorcycle rider, had recently had a horrifically nasty crash; a lorry had spiralled out of control and Zhane's cycle had hit it, catapulting him atop the lorry's bonnet and then down to the unforgiving concrete. His condition hadn't stabilised and it was presumed he'd die within the day. But here they were, two days later, and Zhane was very much alive. Not a scratch on his pale face.

"Yeah, _The Contractor _fixed them! It's so great…" Zhane's eyes were bright, filled with life… No, his contracting was a good thing. It had to be…

"Do you know how Contracting works?" David swung himself up, not having noticed (or being too busy to notice) the small, flaming lion a few paces behind him, grimacing murderously at Zhane and the small bear cub, which had followed Zhane curiously, giving evil glances at the lion, Coronamon.

"Not quite… But you do, right?"

"Yeah," David nodded. "Alright, here it is; Hunters, also known as a _Penultima Kilo_- what you and I are- are people with enough will to survive death upon the creation of a Digital Field. These are created because the Digimon, which don't exist in the Real World, only in an unreal plane of data (which you can't touch, see?), need to "eat" human's brain waves, consequently killing them, which generally happens upon the creation of one of these, as I mentioned earlier. If you do this, a man known only as _The Contractor _will come and… Well… He'll ask you to contract with him. What exactly this entails, no-one is completely sure, but it only happens once: if you decline the contract with him and wander into another field, the digimon _will _kill you. But a bonus to contracting is…"

"Stop talking! Yes, bonuses include _injury healing_, getting one wish and some kind of power, right? What's yours?" Zhane seemed overexcited, cheerful and empowered; much happier than David had seen him in quite a while. But Hunting wasn't like TV. It wasn't like those _Digimon_ anime. They were a lure. If you thought that when you met a digimon, it would be nice, then you'd let your guard down… and then die. David had almost learnt that lesson the hard way. He shuddered, the bright colours and idealism in his once-favourite anime haunting him as he remembered that it was all lies. Lies to get you killed.

"My power is elemental manipulation," David said quietly. "My D-Arms is a sword hilt; I can make a blade for it with my power…" D-Arms were like the Digivice of the real world. They manifested themselves in the form of anything, though usually they were weapon-related.

"My D-Arms is a glaive… It's extendable and everything…" Zhane sent out the glaive, causing David to shake a bit. "And my power is fear manipulation… I can actually change Digital Fields to represent this!"

"Great…" David wanted to tell him that it wasn't a game, but what point would there be? He'd likely not listen. "Would you consider a partnership with me?"

"A partnership?" Zhane didn't even consider it. "Yes! Of course, it'd be fine… We'd be better off together…" He smiled and David sighed in relief. He'd be able to keep him alive a little longer this way.

x x x

Megane Michihiko was walking self-confidently through a field, questioning, thoughtfully, where everybody was. His partner, a confident, vicious Palmon, was padding beside him. He was out of his element, but excited. His first hunt!

"Hey," a voice. Clear, loud and cruel. It didn't seem very digimon-like, though Michihiko's only experience was the anime series.

"Yeah?" Michihiko said indignantly, though Palmon was more apprehensive, lifting her vine arms with her eyes slits.

"Don't 'yeah' me," a person sprang out from seemingly no-where, mist heralding his appearance as his hands gripped Michihiko's arms. "What do you think you're doing, in my territory?"

"Yours? This is my home too," Michihiko pulled free, though Palmon was backing off fearfully, seeing the near-full pouch at the tall, alarmingly thin boy's belt.

"Shut up, you idiot," Palmon hissed warningly.

"I'd listen to her. Polite warning; leave." It was the only thing the boy said. Michihiko blinked, taking in the boy's appearance. He was fairly tall, not strikingly, but taller than Michihiko, and his pale face was adorned with a mop of strikingly blonde hair, clearly bleached.

"Don't order me around, listen, you-"

_Bang._

"Too slow," the boy said quietly, his fingers stroking the trigger of his D-Arms- a revolver. Michihiko fell rapidly; collapsing in a gasping, bloody heap, as Palmon fell forward too, clutching her chest.

"Pal…" Michihiko wheezed, though his vision was blurry and the cold air chilled his skin and bones.

"Oh, right. Might as well tell you; A digimon and partner are linked, so that when you die, they do. When you die, they do. Guess I forgot…" he shrugged, though he was now blurring… A smirk was visible on his pale face.

"Let's go, Kaoru!" a high-pitched voice cried. The creature's lack of honorific-usage went to show how close the pair had become. Michiko felt tears run down his face, his mind reciting his murderer's name: _Kaoru_.

x x x

Hikari was typing listlessly on the computer at school. She was making a programme; how could she have left the school and forgotten? The foreign letters were a challenge, but she struggled through, making simple mistakes that her programme mostly fixed naturally. She was still shaken by her earlier encounter, but otherwise okay. Not even that would knock her down.

…

It was oddly quiet. Even at this time, teachers lounged around, talking, laughing, the track team dashed across the field, cheering. Did they meet today? She was pretty certain… in fact, as Hikari turned on her chair; she noticed that the room had been… pinkified. The normally-black, boring computer chairs had suddenly grown fluffy, pink cushions, cuddly toys sprawled over the tables, computers were fluffy or devoid completely and the windows had grown kiddie-locks.

Disconcerted by this, Hikari backed away from her computer, its screen now blank.

"Hello…?" she asked, her voice shaky and loud, but it echoed back, devoid of reply. "Konnichiwa?" she slipped back into her native language in fear, shaking her head as she left, shaking as the only things in the hall were dolls, horrible with staring glass eyes. 'Ugh,' she cried, kicking one and running down the hall. However, she saw a student up ahead, trying desperately to push something away. Blood… Silence… Hikari, however, couldn't turn and run as the cream blur attacked her, too, teeth biting, but somehow Hikari's skin was immune to her bites. It wasn't Hikari, but rather another force…

"Hello..." It was a blind man in a heavy-looking coat. "Do you wish to contract?'

**Next Time:**

A young, cheerful girl is almost killed by a digimon, but is protected by a mysterious hunter named Deep – that's me! She is inspired by yours truly to find her own Digital Field and contract… But that's crazy, isn't it?

Meanwhile, Hikari learns of the horrors of hunting from her stalker and Kaoru, the mysterious, villainous hunter learns that digimon are getting even stronger…

Find out in the next episode: "Far Away, Across the Deep Blue Sea! The Swirling Vortex of the Whirlpool Ocean Hunter!"


	2. Book 1: Draft: Episode 02

DISCLAIMER: We don't own Digimon, we're fans and decided to write this, it's not for profit, just for fun and lulz. Though it is very dark. Check this link for exposition, trivia, teasers, exclusive info and concept art: .?showtopic=128277&st=0 this story won't make sense without it.  
>Also Hikari isn't ours, but a friend's, so credit to Psyshock for her, and to BandaiToei for Digimon.

Hikari was breathing slowly, heavily, and her shaking hands covered her face. At last, the curious and terrible _Contractor _was gone; she had her own cute creature, a wish and a power, but she couldn't bring herself to look further up the corridor. _The Contractor _had explained what had happened, he'd explained that the dead student would just go away, but that didn't stop Hikari's memory knowing he was there. Knowing that she was now partnered to a murderer…

"Why, lookie here!" the voice that echoed around the large, spacey corridor was familiar and American. Hikari already knew who it was. She'd guessed he was involved. She didn't want to see him. His 'power' was obviously telepathy. That's how he'd known about… _them_. She started to cry into her hands, refusing to move them. "It's that girl! Hey, you don't like me, do you?"

Hikari wasn't about to tell him. She didn't even shake her head.

"Ah… I see. There was another… You saw Salamon here murder him…" Hikari shuddered as he spoke. Her thoughts were supposed to be hers, not his. No-one told him it was right for him to read them. She freed her hands, which were sparkling even in the dim light, though her face was relatively dry, and she looked at him. He was looking at her curiously. "You think I'm being rude? Sorry… I think you're a bit rude for not answering either way. My powers aren't limited to telepathy, by the way. There's telekinesis, too, which I used to hold you still earlier."

"You… can have _two_?" Hikari asked incredulously. "That's… not fair!"

"It is," the boy said flatly. "I'm Chase, Chases Wolves, actually, but if you don't understand simple things like that then you have a lot to learn… Here goes,"

**Chapter Two: Far Away Across the Deep Blue Sea! The Swirling Vortex of the Whirlpool Ocean Hunter!**

Alison Kingsley was sitting back in a chair on the deck of a ferry, playing an Digimon game on her Nintendo DS. Her fingers were slamming the directional keys in haste and she was clutching it tightly.

"Stupid Yuu! Let me beat you!" she muttered, losing to a character for the umpteenth time, but the screens of the device suddenly started to fizz in and out of the game, displaying static as they switched out until there was a ghostly figure of the player character, Sayo. She was slightly distorted and there were messed up letters, like the writing of a child, scratching across the screen; 'D… E… E…'

She tossed the DS away, watching it clatter over the… Steel? She glanced around, in sudden shock, noticing that the whole ferry had changed. The people were gone, replaced with flags featuring a silhouette of what she imagined was their face. The small lake surrounding them had turned shadowy and…

"Digital! I'm in the Digital World! Really, really! This isn't a dream; my heart doesn't hurt this bad in dreams when it beats!" Alison lent over the side of the ferry, staring downwards, but no shadows appeared, signalling her digimon's appearance. She sighed, leaning against the hull of the ferry and closing her eyes, taking a moment to go over this in her head.

"We've taken it, taken it, yeah!" a gravelly voice cried from behind her.

"What?" Alison span around, trying to do it super-quickly like in anime, but on the wet, steel deck, she slipped, falling on her backside, wriggling as her short-shorts soaked in the water. She flushed childishly, though it was soon the least of her worries as she saw the digimon that had spoken, Gekomon, noticing her, and suddenly becoming enraged.

"A survivor, survivor, eh?" one yelled furiously.

"Kill it, kill it, now!" another cried and they all agreed, advancing carefully, their webbed feet gripping the deck.

"Kill…?" Alison echoed, pushing herself back futilely.

"Die," the leader said, breaking their pattern, reaching out... but suddenly, they fell back, shrieking at the top of their voices, piercing, loud and horrible.

"Oh no!" Alison reached out, but suddenly they were gone, suddenly the ferry was normal. Well, normal, without the people. Not even the flags remained. She wobbled, her arms shaking as she pushed herself up, leaning on her knees and heaving slowly, shaking as great tears fell down her cheeks. She wanted her mom and dad, who were waiting patiently on land.

"Cheer up, chicken," a boy slipped out of the innards of the ship, smiling brightly. He was quite regular-looking, with long, strangely teal hair that was spiked up over his head, but Alison instantly saw him as a hero, handsome and heroic with an angular face and wonderful tan… "Do you want me to dry you out?"

"W-what?" Alison blinked. That didn't sound right…

"It's okay, you've seen one. Ol' '_tractor_ shouldn't mind," and then he span his hand around elegantly, her backside drying as the excess water, sparkling in the air for a few moments, crashed into the lake. "I'm using that power to get us to shore. Don't know what we're gonna say… That's where stupid Kaoru's power would come in handy, eh? No wonder he had almost forty DMs at one point,"

Gibberish. It was all gibberish, but spoken so beautifully. "How did you do that?"

"Never mind," He shrugged. "Digimon are… Well, they _eat _humans. If you see another, run, kiddo," and then they docked, and then he lifted her off and sprang off himself. "See you," he said softly, padding off along the dock, whispering softly into an expensive phone.

Alison watched him leave, sucking in her breath as he left.

"My _hero_…" she breathed gently, grabbing at his figure. She didn't even know his name, but she loved him all the same.

x x x

"Are you Alison Kingsley?" Alison turned around in surprise to see two men, tall and muscular, walking towards her.

"I am, sirs," she said shyly, though her mother had reached over and was squeezing her arm. The men were members of the NYPD, their faces grave and concerned.

"Is this about that ferry…?" Alison's mother asked her face churned and fearful.

"I'm afraid so," said one of them. "You're Mrs. Kingsley?" she nodded, pulling Alison around the table of the café they were in. "Well… Something happened on the ferry. Everyone's gone. Whether they just ran off suddenly, we don't know, but the pilot's gone too, it's…"

"Disturbing," the other finished. "There's no sign of a struggle, but when we saw this girl, we thought she was a passenger… She's the only one we've found."

"What about the hero boy?" Alison babbled. "I don't know his name, but he was aboard too, he was, um…" Alison tried to conjure up his real face, aside of her heroic delusions, but she wasn't sure she was right when she found something she deemed to be close enough. "Tall, teal-haired… American!"

"_Teal _hair?" an officer scoffed, despite himself, and the other elbowed him irritably.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, maybe you were scared… did a wave knock everyone off? Did the ocean look teal?" Alison shook her head indignantly, glaring. "Darling, there was no-one like that aboard. It was impossible for someone to hitchhike, the guard would've seen. There was no-one like that actually aboard; teal hair? The guard would've mentioned it…" he patted her shoulder, though Alison tried to shrug his hand away, sympathetically. "Can I have your number, Mrs. Kingsley?"

"Yes, officers," Alison's mother scribbled the home phone number down quickly, frowning.  
>"We'll be in touch," one finished, and they both turned, becoming absorbed into the crowds of people. Alison blinked, sniffing. Her mother kept asking her what she thought she was talking about, going on crazily about a boy with teal hair, but Alison was numb with fear. He hadn't been her imagination; he was real. What was he…?<p>

"_I'll be one of you,_" Alison muttered. "_I'll find a place like that and be a water-controller too!_"

x x x

Alison tried telling her mother more about the Mystery Man, but her mother decided, at last, that Alison was confusing some kind of cute lifeguard with someone on the boat. Anymore perseverance resulted in irritable dismissal.

So Alison decided to find her own special power and set off into the local town, springing on her heels as she looked around. She couldn't sense anything, didn't see anything; couldn't even smell the air of mystery. She sniffed, her feet dragging. She maybe hadn't thought this out right. She couldn't find her Mystery Man, nor did she know what she was looking for. Ferry Trips had been cancelled, so she couldn't go on another one of those…

"I need the toilet," Alison said loudly to herself. She looked around, hopping from foot to foot anxiously (after all, when you're searching for your life's meaning, stuff like remembering to go before you leave home becomes meaningless, right?) until she saw an office building. She'd been there once or twice with her dad, she was pretty certain people worked on Saturdays there… she knew her dad didn't, but some people did…

She ran over to it, breathing slowly as she ran round the revolving door to the office a few times. It wasn't right when she stopped and walked in properly. Her need to go to the toilet was forgotten as she stared, blankly, at the world around her. The desks were splintered; large, egg-like things were lying behind them. The desks themselves had been carefully arranged into make-shift nests, and pink birds were—

"_Biyomon_!" screamed Alison. "Real Biyomon! Ohmigosh, be my partner!" she ran over to one, not noticing how they'd all started on her, eyes glittering maliciously.

"Human…" the Biyomon muttered, suddenly stabbing furiously at Alison with her shiny red beak. Luckily, however, Alison was fast, dodging away, dashing back through the now-cave-like office building, her legs flying in all different directions beneath her as she flew into the main office. This room was much warmer… Alison stuck her head above the wood, to the window, watching the Biyomon in horror. They backed off, malevolent looks on their cute little faces.

"Human… What are you doing here?" Alison span around, this time slowly, and saw a great flaming bird, ugly and terrifying, flapping its wings as the flames sent off into the air. The walls caught fire, burning slowly, as the Birdramon flew towards Alison…

"Greetings, young one," a man opened the door behind Alison, causing her to fall back. The Birdramon was frozen, its face contorted in ugly hatred. "I thought someone would handle this, so excuse my late arrival." He wasn't as handsome as her hero, in fact, he wasn't handsome at all. His face was long and he was wearing sunglasses over a pair of eyes that were iced over in thick fog. One of his spidery hands was clutching a cane and his other was encased in his pocket… that pocket! It belonged to a long, black coat that reached his ankles, which were covered in black leather shoes and his head was covered in a dark brown mass of hair.

"Who're you…?" whispered Alison, taking in his muscular height.

"I am _The Contractor_, a man who allows partnership between the Digital Species and the tangible race. If you survived… Twice, I'm told, then here's a belated offer; do you wish to contract?"

"Contract?" Alison asked quietly, wringing her hands together.

"Apologies; Contracting is when a human agrees to sign his or her name on a contract, thus binding them to their digimon and allowing them to _hunt_ for DigiMemories. Each 'Penultima Kilo' or 'Hunter' as the ignorant masses call them gets a power and wish." Said _The Contractor _shortly.

"No strings attached?" Alison's eyes were wide and glittering.

"How interesting," he muttered softly, more to himself than Alison. "Hardly anyone asks me that… Alright, powers are more or less unconditional, though you need a big field to use flashy powers, but… Wish carefully."

"Oh wow, oh wow!" cried Alison. "Alright, alright, I want… I want the ability to track people,"

"Tracking…"

"And I wish…" Alison paused, blushing. "I wish to know that boy's name. I think he might've been a tamer…"

"A Tamer? That name is so popular," the blind man shrugged. "Call it what you like. Also, I think you might mean Mr. Deep Beale."

"Deep! Oh, it's beautiful! It fits him so well…" Alison started off on a 'Deep' rant, and _The Contractor _sighed.

"Alright, just sign and all this could be yours," the tall figure said smoothly, though his patience was wearing thin.

"Sign, sign!" cried Alison, almost in agreement, beginning to rabble again as she signed. _The Contractor _rolled up the ghostly contract, sighing once again.

"If that's all, I'll be departing now. I will see you next when you first hunt. Goodbye, Alison Kingsley," he swung his hand behind him, as he walked away and a small phone formed in mid-air, dropping into her hands. It looked like a Digivice!

"_Contractor_…" Alison whispered, taking in the elegance of his supposed name. And then, commotion. Around the corner, yelling, and then, shining, glowing, perfect, Deep appeared.

"What, I, you…? _Fuck_."

"I sensed it! I sensed you…" Alison blushed again, smiling broadly. "Deep! That's your name… You're so handsome!"

"I…" Deep's eyes were round and he looked like he was going to scream. "Welcome to hunting, I guess, but why didn't you run? Girl, I told you this was dangerous. It's not a game! Once I knew someone… someone that I lost to this… Hey, are you listening?"

"Deep…" Alison was blushing, unable to hide her feelings.

"Deep," a low voice from behind him alerted Alison to a presence and then a digimon walked warily up to the pair. "A human… That girl from earlier."

"She shouldn't have contracted," her love said bitterly.

"Yes, this is Deep's place. He swore that he'd never partner again. Which nullifies you," the wizard digimon Sorcerermon turned to Deep, his cold eyes piercing the young man's warm ones. "Do you want me to destroy it?"

"No," Deep sighed heavily, putting his face into one of his hands. "No, leave her be."

x x x

"Zhane," David and Zhane were walking away from the reverted hospital, phones clutched at their sides. "Have you got a Spirit Adapter?"

"'Course," Zhane glared at David for underestimating his knowledge.

"Alright then, that's for access to the Digimon Hunter's Network," David pointed to his own, attached tightly and positioned right at the centre of his throat.

"Digimon Hunter's Network?" Zhane sighed slowly, realising that he was showing David more of his ignorance.

"Yeah, if we have these on us, then we can access it," David lifted his phone, tapping some buttons. The phone's screen suddenly mutated into a network, crimson with many names and lists. A name was displayed in a corner, flashing (it was news); Alison Kingsley.

"Wow…" Zhane blinked, all apprehension and annoyance replaced with curiosity. "Let me try!" Zhane worked with his own tricky phone, David directing him carefully and slowly, and then Zhane's hunter network popped up. It wasn't crimson, it was blue. "Fancy,"

"Hey, Chase is on," David frowned. "It's odd that he's on…"

"Mm, I can't see him," Zhane sighed.

"You have a hunter friend's network, you need to look…" David tapped the phone. "I'll talk to you via NetChat."

**DJR-Beale: **Chase, what's up?

**Chase: **Change your chat name. It's annoying.

**DJR-Beale:** Not answering the question.

**Chase: **There's a new hunter in my neighbourhood. She's real nice. Name's Hikari.

**DJR-Beale: **That Hikari's not Japanese?

**Chase: **No, she is…

**DJR-Beale: **Okay… But she's okay and all?

**Chase: **Yeah…

**Zhane-Tracer: **Can't get a word in edgeways.

**Chase: **Talking to Deep earlier, I heard there's a new hunter in New York too. By the sounds, she's a real big fan of his, if you get my drift.

**DJR-Beale: **Hahaha

**Chase: **And then there's that Michihiko kid. He was new, but he died recently. Murdered by Arakawa.

**DJR-Beale: **That Kaoru…

**Chase: **Calm it, there's nothing we can do.

**Zhane-Tracer: **I can't get the hang of this touch pad can you guys help or something?

**DJR-Beale: **Even so…

**Zhane-Tracer: **No, keep talking, its okay…

**Chase: **Ah, sh—

**DJR-Beale: **Chase?

**Chase: **Pulled away, Hikari, g2g bye!

_**Chase**__ has left the NetChat._

"Well…" David said slowly. "That was random…"

x x x

Kaoru Arakawa was sitting atop his school building, feeling too unwell to do lessons. He was feeling the breeze ruffle his pale hair, listening to Tsukaimon's drabbles through his iPhone… But then the wind changed, the scent in the air was more violent. A Digital Field had just opened.

"Alright," Kaoru stood slowly, feeling his legs go rubbery below him. "It's show time,"

"Where's the field, Kaoru~?" asked Tsukaimon brightly.

"It's just down there," Kaoru said, pointing downwards. "Not school, campus. Let's get this done quick so no-one walks in…"

"Ri~ight!" And then Kaoru vanished in a swirl of dark mist.

**Next Time:** I, Arakawa Kaoru, somehow manage to underestimate a digital foe and am forced to leave the Digital Field in disgrace. My honour tarnished and my pride wounded, I swear to get even, meanwhile, however, that American Chase is training his little apprentice Hikari. I really hope she dies. In any case, that's the next episode: "Lone Demon of Kyoto, Kaoru". Where's my ten thousand yen?


	3. Book 1: Draft: Episode 03

DISCLAIMER: We don't own Digimon, we're fans and decided to write this, it's not for profit, just for fun and lulz. Though it is very dark. Check this link for exposition, trivia, teasers, exclusive info and concept art: .?showtopic=128277&st=0 this story won't make sense without it.  
>Also Hikari isn't ours, but a friend's, so credit to Psyshock for her, and to BandaiToei for Digimon.

"_Kaoru, Kaoru," a young girl was running, her stubby legs tripping over each other. "Onii-Chan," she ran down the corridor, thumping on his door. "Play Digimon with me!"_

"_Go away, Reiko," her brother's cold voice replied._

"_No, Kaoru, you're so mean," the girl pouted. "I hate you sometimes! I hate you, I hate you…"_

"_Okay," Kaoru said slowly. "You hate me. You don't bug people you hate,"_

"_Onii-Chan!" the young eleven-year-old started to cry, leaning against his door. "Why do you hate me, Onii-Chan?"_

"_I don't…" the door was opened behind Reiko and she was caught by Kaoru as she fell back. Reiko hardly ever got to look into Kaoru's room, so she took a moment to savour her view. Behind her tall, thin brother was a regular, tidy room. A bit empty, but Reiko had expected as much; he was never bought anything and he didn't own much, but their parents always bought him really expensive essentials like his iPhone and iPad. Both were sitting on his tidy desk, with a curios gem._

"_It's so tidy…" Reiko whistled. Kaoru just didn't care, so she'd expected that his room was a cluttered mess… But it wasn't._

"_Yes, and what?" Kaoru said irritably. "Listen, Reiko, I don't hate you. Never have. Leave me alone, though, okay? I have a lot to deal with."_

"_Onii-Chan…"_

**Episode Three: Lone Ronin of Kyoto, Kaoru!**

Chase carefully guided his phone around, occasionally glancing at the small girl beside him. She was frowning at him like he was monstrous, face twisted a little. Chase smiled, seeming ignorant of her detest, clicking something on his phone and smiling.

"Alright, all in," Chase nodded towards the tall, ominous library ahead of them and stood aside politely. "Ladies first,"

"Ladies first…" muttered Hikari darkly, taking his invitation with a begrudging 'Thank you'.

"We're in a Digital Field now," Chase brushed his hand around in a circle. The desks were now the base for tall, hanging trees, the ground's carpet was torn away, replaced with dark, rotting wood and the walls were home to dense forest life.

"We should leave," Hikari said fearfully. "The digimon here could get us, too…"

"Don't be so worried," Chase said lightly, "I created it."

"You… You… How?" Hikari felt a bit dumb asking. She wasn't dumb, she was quite intelligent and had learnt English fairly quickly… Or, well, she had. When she'd been trying to pick it up.

"You use your D-Spacer," Chase said, off-hand. Hikari wondered if she'd heard correctly. She'd never heard that term… "You don't know? C'mon, Hikari! Okay, okay; D-Spacers are modified from whatever digital apparatus the human has when they contract, like an iPod, a Lap-Top or a Mobile Phone. It is used to remain in contact with their Digimon partner and to detect Digital Fields. You can also connect to the Digimon Hunters Network and, well, open your own Digital fields using computers nearby. And trust me; it took me ages to find a place where we'd not be hurting anyone by having this here."

"Right… Hunters Network?" Hikari said suspiciously.

"Uh… You saw me using it earlier… That green site on my phone? I was chatting with some friends before you pulled me off." Chase remembered the chat earlier, smiling slightly. "Alright, training time," he delved toward his back, removing the strap across his chest and lifting a collapsed longbow to her eyes. "See?"

"Yeah…" Hikari thought about her own weapon (which she'd hidden at home), a reverse-grip sword. She held it strangely, but knew how it worked. She didn't really want to have to use it.

Chase opened up his longbow, waving Hikari over and pointing it at a tree. He muttered something about where someone was and then fired an arrow. Hikari flew back in shock and fear, but was shocked at the elegance, speed and accuracy of the arrow as it soared straight through one of the trees and into a wall. The tree dissipated into data and Chase stood, watching it fill into a small chip that formed in Chase's hand.

"What's that?" Hikari questioned, drawing closer and fingering the chip.

"It's a DigiMemory," Chase said. "And don't even ask, I'll tell you. A DigiMemory is formed from data and allows you to 'digivolve' your creature-"

"I know what that means," Hikari snapped, frowning slightly. Chase was making her show her worst side. "I did watch the TV show…"

"Ah, but this isn't like that pack of lies. DigiMemories only digivolve a digimon for a single battle. It won't last because the Digimon is now linked with you. If you're not strong, they're not, and humans can never be that strong, not permanently. So we use the memories."

"So they're like drugs?" Hikari questioned slowly.

"No." Was Chase's only reply as he walked forwards, searching for something.

"You're looking for me… Chase…?" A deep, wild voice said, sharp and cold. Hikari turned, fearfully, feeling the demon puppy freeze at her feet.

"Apemon," Chase sighed, turning to look at the tanned ape thing.

"We'll look after you, girl," Apemon said, his voice slow and lumbering, "Until you're able to stand on your own. Then, you better watch out you don't steal our hunts,"

"That… and I that will match you!" Hikari said, though her words lacked strength or backing.

"That? I'm a she," Salamon cried. "I'm Salamon! And you bet we'll beat you! How many humans have _you _killed in cold data?"

"Shut up and know your place, small fry," Apemon smiled dangerously, smacking one of his large fists into a desk tree, splintering it in half, leaving sprinkles of shining data. He did this a few more times, while Chase collected the chips- 'DigiMemories'- before Chase carefully put his arm around Hikari.

"Let's go for pizza," he offered softly, and Hikari agreed, only because she was hungry, though. Of course.

x x x

"Kaoru," Tsukaimon squealed through the phone that Kaoru was holding to his ear. "I'm so bored, Kaoru. Do walks really relax humans?"

"They do," Kaoru replied slowly. "But not all of them. For instance; I _hate_ them… but there's nothing better to do. All's been calm. Have I scared them away?" he scoffed at the thought.

"Hey, I feel a frequency!" Tsukaimon's soft, childish tone piped up.

"Digital?" Kaoru's grip on the phone intensified. His power was that of teleportation; he could vanish to wherever the field was as long as he was out of sight.

"No… Look, the screens!" Kaoru did as instructed, though his temper was pricking at being ordered. On the large screen hanging above the busy Kyoto, Kaoru noted that there was an emergency news broadcast.  
>"This is Kyoto News Anchorwoman, Ami Nagato. The latest victim of the world-wide disappearance has been local teenage boy, Megane Michihiko. His parents are shocked and horrified… They want their son back. Here they are now, with a plea to the kidnapper;" the screen flashed to a pair of shuddering people, their eyes read and their faces pale.<p>

"We're the parents of Michihiko-Kun… And we're not going to poke fingers. We just want our son back more than anything. We love him and he was a good person, we don't know why he'd be targeted. Everyone loved him… He was good at soccer, an excellent goalie and striker… We just…" the woman broke down into tears. "Please, I want my boy back…"

"Please, if anyone has seen Megane Michihiko, call the following number;" and the news followed with some other stories. Kaoru blinked at the large screen for a second before turning and weaving through the crowd.

"Disappearances happen all the time," Kaoru shrugged. "And what?"

"You're an excellent hunter, Kao~ru!" Tsukaimon purred. "I can't believe I hated you when you contracted!"

"Yeah," Kaoru sighed. "I wonder when Reiko's flute practice ends…

"You're supposed to pick her up?" Tsukaimon didn't think much of little Reiko. She was small, annoying and yelled at Kaoru for what Tsukaimon thought were some of his best qualities.

"I am," Kaoru didn't seem too happy about it either. But then there was a loud buzzing in Kaoru's ear and he pulled the phone away, shuddering. His D-Spacer was announcing Digital Field. "It's in a park," Kaoru noted. "And close. Let's go!"

Kaoru skidded to a halt outside of the park. It was dark and the park's geometries had become alien and distorted…

_Bang_

Kaoru and Tsukaimon were thrown away suddenly, Tsukaimon vanishing as the blast, luckily of only energy, knocked the blonde boy into the road. He pulled himself out of it, waving his hand at the angered drivers and sighing slowly. He turned to the park, checking that all of his limbs still worked and then decided to check the digimon using his D-Spacer.

He brought up the Digimon Reference App, using the three fields as "Mega" (that blast was definitely Mega-level powered), "Lives in Darkness" and "Strikes without Warning." The app loaded only one match, likely due to many Mega levels striking more strategically; 'Gulfmon'.

"I think it's a Gulfmon," Kaoru said to the phone.

"Yeah, that fits, Kaoru! Good job," teased the young Digimon.

"Don't act like I'm five you flying rat," Kaoru replied snottily.

"Hey! I'm not a rat," complained Tsukaimon. Kaoru ignored him, searching on the network for any kind of info on Gulfmon. Not many people met Mega Digimon and lived to tell the tale, but there were some tips on a Hunter named Robin's file, noting how Darkness Digimon hated Holy Digimon.

"Can you see this?" Kaoru asked quietly. "We need to waste some memories, but only ten. Ten should do it."

"Champion?" Tsukaimon said doubtfully.

"Yup," Kaoru said shortly. "I don't really care if you disagree. This guy's a Mega level. I'll get a lot of Memories from it to trade with _Him_."

"Okay, okay, let's do it," Tsukaimon replied bitterly, and the pair entered the field a second time.

The bright light from Tsukaimon's champion subsided and Kaoru was left standing in an empty park. All of the children and parents were gone. Swing sets, Jungle Gyms and other equipment destroyed.

"They only get easier," Kaoru smiled. "Fifteen memories. Wasting ten was definitely worth it. Is that the time? Damn. Let's go get Reiko…"

**Next time: **My territory is gonna be made much smaller by this, but here goes! Training the feisty Hikari is getting harder and she's getting stronger, pushing forwards toward a goal that I don't quite know. Meanwhile, Deep struggles with himself on what to do with Alison. How can he tell her about Digital Fields and allow her to keep her innocence?

A fierce digimon takes Hikari while we're training, too, and Salamon can't get her back alone! Apemon and I won't stand for it! Next episode: "Flurry of Leaves, Spirit of the Forest, Apemon!" Hang on Hikari, I'm coming!


	4. Book 1: Draft: Episode 04

DISCLAIMER: We don't own Digimon we're fans and decided to write this, it's not for profit, just for fun and lulz. Though it is very dark. Check this link for exposition, trivia, teasers, exclusive info and concept art: .?showtopic=128277&st=0 this story won't make sense without it.

Also Hikari isn't ours, but a friend's, so credit to Psyshock for her, and to Bandai/Toei for Digimon.

"What do we do now, Sorcerermon?" Deep asked, sitting on the dock and swinging his legs. "She's gone and done it… I can't keep an eye out for a kid and New York! I can hardly keep an eye on New York by itself, it's so big…"

"Deep…" Sorcerermon replied, trying to process his words as he gabbled. "I'm aware that this is not ideal. You need another experienced hunter here… Not the kid. The kid's just useless. Why don't you want me to kill it? We'd be done with this problem if I could."

"No, I can't. I've seen so much death already, Sorcerermon. Those shows… I guess I want to be like them. I don't want to destroy life, Sorcerermon; I want to preserve it…" Deep gave way to his tears, crying in ugly gulps as his tears splashed into the water.

"Deep… It wasn't your fault-" Sorcerermon began, but Deep suddenly stood, though he was still crying, his tears weren't streaming so quickly.

"Let's not dwell in the past, Sorcerermon," Deep said, sighing. "Let's focus on the now. I was gonna call Chase over, see if he'd come, but now he's got that apprentice, there's no way…"

"Yes… Don't worry so much, Deep. We'll sort this out," Sorcerermon ached to offer Deep an arm, but he was stuck, walking alongside him but unable to touch him.

**Episode Four: Flurry of Leaves! Spirit of the forest, Apemon!**

"Beyond the bright blue sky, beyond the deep blue sea," Hikari was singing, trying to memorise the song. Hikari was fairly good at singing, not the best, but her mother had told her to keep singing and, well… it was the least she could do. "My small and easiness changes into newfound hope…"

"You're not bad," a voice resounded. It seemed to be coming from everywhere, loud and resonating.

"What? Chase?" Hikari panicked, feeling her face flush and her heart rate hit the roof.

"What are you, stupid?" Salamon said. But softly.

"Salamon? Where are you? Why can I hear you?" Hikari was swinging around and around, but her room stayed exactly the same. Small, cramped, but that suited her just fine, because she was small. Not elegantly. She was just _small_. It was like she'd been shrunk.

"On your phone, genius," Salamon's voice was, in fact, resonating from the slim, square device.

"How do you do that?" Hikari asked incredulously, lifting it to her eyes.

"I'm right next to you, but I'm data. You can't see or touch me, right? But I _can _get the charge from your phone and put myself on the same frequency, though, so I can talk to you. Loads of Digimon do it, even your precious Chase."

"I don't like him or anything," Hikari said calmly, though her face was reddening just from the thought. "He's annoying. He's just… He's Chase."

X x x

Chase's green Hunter's Network was painful to the eyes. He was learning that in spades now, as he had a conversation with Deep and David, two friends. He was pretty certain that Zhane was online too, but he wasn't making his appearance. Or hadn't yet…

**Chase: **Is Zhane on, David?

**: **He is

**Chase: **What's he doing? He hasn't posted.

**Deep-Blue: **Leave him, we got stuff to discuss.

"David, I can't find the chat…"

"Shut up, Zhane."

**Chase: **What's up, Deep?

**Deep-Blue: **Well I was talking with a hunter named Aleatte and he says that he was trading with '_Tractor _and that he mentioned something for five hundred DMs… But that only one exists!

**Chase: **Aleatte?

**Zhane-Tracer: **Found it!

*** **He and Aleatte?

**Deep-Blue: **I think he's Australian. Hi Zhane. I'm Deep.

**DJR-Beale: **One? Do you know who it belongs to?

**Deep-Blue: **I know who I think it does. Robin.

**DJR-Beale: **The Robin with the "mega tips" blog?

**Deep-Blue: **Yeah.

**Chase: **Curios. Listen, guys, I've got stuff to do… Apprentices to meet. I'll see you… Well, not see. I'll maybe fly over for Christmas, but the odds are I won't get a ticket. See you…

"It died…"

"Zhane!"

**DJR-Beale: **Ok, I'll talk to you later.

**Deep-Blue: **Yeah, the no-nerd way of saying it; ttyl

Chase sighed, cutting off the network. It wasn't that he was busy. He couldn't stand talking to his friends and knowing that they were going through such turmoil. Deep especially, in that, though. David had his friend Zhane, who Chase knew vaguely, which meant he wasn't alone. Chase wasn't anymore, but he never really had been. He'd never been anchored to one place, so he'd wander, though he mainly stayed in Canada, he would take trips to see Deep. And now he was obligated not to.

"Deep…" Chase whispered. That new girl didn't sound helpful. She sounded just the opposite. She was making life hard for Deep, which Chase really didn't want. He was such a kind, giving person… He really didn't deserve the shit that came his way. "That Alison…"

"The new girl in America?" Apemon droned. "It can't be helped, Chase. There's nothing you could do anyway." Chase sighed. "You could get Moon or Silent to go and check up on him if your conscience got too loud, though… You should just not listen to it."

"If only it were that easy," Silent and Moon were other hunters. They weren't highly antagonistic, though Silent was a bit aloof, and they resided in Alaska and Seattle, either side. "I'm not as close to Silent or Moon as I used to be… We've just fallen apart, I guess."

"Time changes things," Apemon replied carefully. "It changes people. Digital or otherwise. Just look at us; after the incident when we contracted, you hated me and I hated you, too, but we made it through that. Now we're like brothers in arms. We still hate each other sometimes, but that doesn't really matter. We're partners. The best there ever has been."

"Yes," Chase agreed quietly. "Time changes people." As he spoke, his phone started to create noisily and Chase felt a cold tingle down his spine. A Digital Field! "No rest for the weary," he sighed, springing into action.

X x x

Chase hated running. It was probably because he did it. Far. Too. Much. You had to run in this career, though. Try just trying to reason with a crazy digimon, for instance. Not fun.

He skidded to a hault outside of the field. He blinked. How strange; the field was in a house. And it wasn't detached. It was part of a row of houses. Either side, the houses looked regular, carefully clipped. In the middle was extravagant, the garden was adorned in beautiful roses; ruby red, soft pink and delicate white all reaching for the sky.

"Um," Chase said. "That's feminine,"

"Sure is," a voice from inside the house called. And then the door was busted off by Apemon. "Come on, Chase. Let's finish this."

"Yes," agreed Chase, striding carefully across the marble path. It looked like the place had just stepped out of a women's magazine. Inside of the house was filled with roses also. It was furnished with many plants, but not like Chase's Digital Field; it was beautiful.

He was taking in the beauty, but he suddenly heard a childish voice.

"Hey! Leave!" Salamon yelled. She was oddly Hikari-less.

"Salamon…" Chase bent down to her, patting her head. "Where's Hikari?"

"I don't know," Salamon sniffed. She looked up, into the sky. Chase double-took suddenly, seeing that the house's roof had vanished.

"You're separated? Then we can say goodbye to the competition," Apemon smiled. "A human won't live long without their partner and vice versa."

"Puppy Howling!" Cried Salamon, but her puny attack bounced off of Apemon and he batted her away carelessly.

"We'll stop this Digimon before we find Hikari," Chase decided, lifting Salamon into his arms.

"I see. You're more like me than you like to admit, partner," Apemon replied carefully, walking forward. Chase walked behind, not answering but knowing that stopping the digimon would be best. For Hikari and everyone else.

Apemon stopped in the middle of the house's large garden, elaborated with many beautiful roses. A few of the trees had statues attached, held tightly to them with thick vines. He waved his large hands around, and a wind picked up around him and as the world was turned grey with the speed of the wind… Breath was short…

As Chase woke, gradually, he saw Apemon and another digimon, Togemon. Behind Togemon was Hikari, pushing herself back against a wall and whispering "ie" to herself. Chase pushed himself up slowly, breathing deeply.

"Apemon?" He said.

"Shut up," Apemon yelled in reply, swinging his hand around into Togemon. It fell back, coughing, before standing once again and punching with its red boxing gloves. Apemon tried to match his punches with his hands, but he wasn't fast enough. Chase sighed, deciding to bait him and so running toward Togemon and kicking the large Cactus' leg at a strategic point where there were no spines. It yelled in pain, quickly grabbing Chase and throwing him, causing him to tumble through the air, yelling furiously. "Chase!" Apemon roared, grabbing Togemon's shoulders and in his fury simply tearing them off. Togemon screamed as data pouring from the holes in his body. Apemon, taking pitty, raised his ancient bone staff and decapitated it, dispersing it into data, which ascended to the heavens.

But the field didn't suddenly change. It started to go transparent, but never did; so that there were semi-transparent roses dotted around the top of the house could be seen, but only semi-transparent.

"I had you thinking that was it, huh?" Apemon smiled as Chase stood, testing for injuries. "It was the weaker, 'Slave-Drive' digimon. Don't know where the Master-Drive could be, I'll-"

"We should go," was all Chase said as he ran to Hikari, smiling at her. "We'll finish this later."

X x x

Deep was signing into the Network. He'd heard from Aleatte that he'd just barely escaped a field with his life and that they were getting strong and stronger. He was shaking slightly from the description of the fiery hell the field was, having once been a swimming pool. He had heard from Chase about an even stronger field also, which, unlike Aleatte's, Chase hadn't managed to destroy... Deep knew he should help his old friend. He decided that he should contact David about it, desperately hoping that he had a better idea of how to solve this problem, other than to call upon the mysterious and call upon _The Strongest Penultima Kilo_.

He was hoping that he would… But he knew he wouldn't.

**Next Time: **David here! I sense a powerful disturbance in the middle of the night near my home, but the place is too strong for me and Coronamon to deal with!

Meanwhile, I, Kaoru, find a disturbance, also, in a very special place.

Hey, bastard, I'm doing this Next Time!

Then say it's Christmas Eve when this is going on. Well I did. Shame.

Guys! It's me, Coronamon, and this episode's gonna be full of those fake Christmas Miracles!

And I gotta say that the message is friendship and no miracles. That's for HAPPY stories.

…Well, this is all next time. Good luck us! "An Ass-kicking Christmas! The cross-continent combination of David and Kaoru!"


	5. Book 1: Draft: Episode 05 Christmas

"I'll see you after Christmas," David said into the phone, walking upstairs in his house. "It was nice seeing you the other day…"

"Yeah," the voice over the phone said. "Even if you were annoying the entire time going 'I'm not a mule!'"

"I'm not!" David snapped fondly. "I'm sorry for running off."

"You're doing that a lot… Do you do that with everyone?"

"Ask my sister, she'll tell you. She's not happy about it, either," David sighed, thinking about the fourteen-year-old downstairs. He'd have given anything to tell her; he couldn't stand keeping the secret from her. But she was safer that way.

"I got a bunch of Christmas crap to be getting on with," his friend grumbled. "I'll see you soon, David. Maybe at a time when your schedule's not so full…"

"Ooh, when's our next date, Davie honey?" Coronamon's voice suddenly teased.

"You cut her across! Now I'm going to have to call her back, Coronamon!" David glared at his phone sharply.

"I'm sorry," Coronamon was laughing so hard. He sounded just like Father Christmas. "You better not slack over Christmas,"

"It's Christmas Eve, Coronamon," David said softly. "I'm hoping that everything will be fine."

X x x

"Kaoru, are you in your room again?" the padding of soft feet on the landing alerted Kaoru to his little sister's presence before her voice did. He sighed, glancing at the many posters, writing and print-outs referring to hunting on the walls. He swung himself up, tearing the papers off of the walls and stowing them beneath his bed. "You are! Come on, Kaoru, please come downstairs…"

"I'm busy, Reiko," Kaoru replied shortly, lying back down on his bed. It was dark, but he hadn't switched his lamp on. He was the best in the house for saving electricity. He rarely bothered with closing the curtains when it got dark either.

"You can't be busy! Not on Christmas Eve," he could hear Reiko's voice cracking as she started to cry.

"I can and I am," Kaoru snapped darkly. "I can't, Reiko. Something might come up…"

"It's Christmas," Reiko sniffed quietly. "I thought you'd come spend time with the family."

"Sorry, Reiko," Kaoru said simply, and he heard her padding away, crying in gulps.

**Episode Five: An Ass-Kicking Christmas! The cross-continent combination of David and Kaoru!**

Deep was sitting on his favourite hang-out, the dock, in a thick coat. He was talking to a man who was going out fishing with his young daughter, smiling.

"Alright…" the target had been acquired. "Come on…"

"I hope you have a nice Christmas, son. You're a good influence on my girl."

"Yes, you too, sir," Deep laughed. "You too, little Amelia,"

"Merry Christmas Deep~"

"See you," Deep waved them off into the dark, smiling, but he was suddenly warmed by two arms wrapping around his chest. "Eh?"

"Merry Christmas, Deep!" Alison showed him that it was her, red hair falling over her equally red face. "What do you do at Christmas?"

"I… I usually spend some time at home," Deep pushed Alison away gingerly, stepping back as the mass steam coming from his mouth misted the younger girl's face. "But my Dad was working late, so I came out here, and-"

"No, no," Alison reprimanded, "You kiss under the mistletoe!" She held up a small branch.

"Oh God," Deep muttered. "Listen, Alison, I'm flattered, but I can't."

"Deep!" Alison held it above his head, shutting her eyes, but Deep dashed away, slipping through the crunchy snow as he ran through the dark. But suddenly, Alison popped up in front of him, scowling. "Kiss me!"

"How the…?" Deep turned and ran in the other direction, running through the snow, trying to blend in.

"Kiss me, Deep!" Alison cried, springing out of no-where a second time.

"Dear _God_!" Deep cried, looking to the skies for some sort of holy assistance. "How the heck does she keep finding me?"

"Her power's tracking, remember, Deep?" Sorcerermon was upsettingly amused by what was happening to Deep, he could tell, though he kept his voice at a steady tone.

"Oh crap," Deep said slowly. "She's gonna keep finding me until…? Oh, crap!"

X x x

Walking through the cold snow, shivering, Chase thwacked his glove-encased hand into the Alaskan door. The boy that answered looked quite similar to him, but was much paler. His voice had a distinctly different accent when he spoke;

"Chase! Glad you could make it. When you said you might not be able to, I was quite worried," the boy stood aside and let Chase through, who shook the thick layers of snow off of his coat. He shook his head, glowering at himself in the mirror; face red, lips chapped and hands shuddering. "Merry Christmas,"

"Is that Chase?" a black haired girl bobbed out of the warm living room, rushing over to Chase and ruffling his already mussed hair. "I thought you'd have given up! This snowstorm delayed all of our relatives,"

"Moon," Chase said coolly. "It's so nice to see you after so long. I didn't even know you and Silent started dating,"

"Well, we do have you do thank," Moon replied, blushing. "You introduced us to one another!"

"Speaking of love," Silent's strong hands clasped Chase's shoulders and he was manoeuvred smoothly into the living room where many cream sofas sat, all surrounding an open fire, and where a Christmas tree was resting, decorated all in lights and tinsel with many wrapped parcels covering its base and reaching its bottommost branches.

"Are those all for us?" Chase asked in bewilderment as he was pushed onto one of the sofas and squashed by the small, pointed form of Moon and the large, muscle-bound form of Silent.

"I _said_, speaking of love; we heard that you've got a new girl on your arm, Casanova," Silent was smiling broadly, and Chase could feel Moon fidgeting excitedly. They'd obviously wanted to ask him about Hikari from the get-go. He was glad that they hadn't asked him straight away. He needed composure to tell them that Hikari wasn't any kind of 'New Girl' and he wasn't about to start dating her. Their relationship was purely professional.

"On my arm," Chase quoted coldly. "Not quite. She's just a hunter that contracted and needed helping to her feet. Sure, I trained her, but it's like saying David and Zhane are gonna start dating. It won't work like that."

"David works much better with that Kaoru," teased Moon. "Have you seen the way they talk? Their loud personalities clash so much. It would be fun to see them meet. How is David, Chase?"

"He's fine. He's working too hard, like always; his sister's complaining like anything, he says." Chase bit his lip, thinking about what Moon had said and recent turns. Deep was worrying about inter-continental Digital Fields; Digital Fields that appeared in two or more places. Chase knew that they'd start fighting and he wasn't sure who'd win. "I'm going to check the Hunter's Network, okay?"

"To see if your apprentice is on?" Silent sniggered. Chase glared resentfully at him, but didn't press the matter any further. As soon as the green digital page appeared, however, Chase was engaged in NetChat.

**Anonymous: **Chase. I've been waiting for you to come on for a while.

**Chase: **What? That's not creepy at all. How do you know—?

**Anonymous: **This is the Network. Everyone knows everyone who's in the Grand Scheme of things.

**Chase: **"Grand Scheme"?

**Anonymous: **Chase, please don't worry about that. It's just me babbling the way I always do.

**Chase: **Who the hell are you?

**Anonymous: **I'll risk invoking old parodies when I say that doesn't matter. What does is this warning.

**Chase: **I don't need your warning.

**Anonymous: **I don't want to harm you or Hikari Akarui. I swear. Just… please take care around dolls.

**Chase: **Dolls?

**Anonymous: **They're watching you. You may have one for Christmas. I urge you to burn it.

**Chase: **What are you…?

**Anonymous: **I think I've overstayed my welcome. Thank you for listening, Chase.

Chase was left staring at his phone. What could that warning possibly mean?

X x x

Hikari was sitting in her room. It felt more claustrophobic than ever as the darkness closed in. she hadn't decorated this year. It was the first Christmas since the incident.

"But now I'm super-fast," she whispered. "I won't let anyone else get hurt…" she saw her phone light up. Who would be texting her? Her friends from Japan would have long-ago forgotten her. She lifted up the phone. At first, the careful lines of text looked like gibberish, but then they made sense. In a heartbeat, she'd mastered the language. That was likely due to contracting. She hadn't yet signed onto the network without Chase's say-so. Maybe it would be nice to try to find some of Chase's friends to talk to. Or maybe some of hers were secretly hunters. She wouldn't have known.

The lines of text informed her that around a hundred users were on. One of which messaged her straight away.

**Chase: **Merry Christmas, Hikari. I didn't think you'd be getting on.

**Hikari-Akarui: **Hello, Chase. Merry Christmas! How's up north?

**Chase: **Cold.

**Hikari-Akarui: **You're sullen. Are you okay?

_**Silent-*-Night **__and __**Moon 3 **__have been added to the chat._

**Chase: **Hikari Akarui, Silent and Moon, Moon and Silent, Hikari.

**Silent-*-Night: **So you're Hikari! Chase doesn't go for just anyone, you know.

**Hikari-Akarui: **E-Excuse me?

**Chase: **Silent, quit it.

**Moon 3: **He's my boyfriend. He is a bit crude.

**Silent-*-Night: **Thanks Moon.

**Chase: **Hold on.

_**Deep-Blue, DJR-Beale **__and __**Zhane-Tracer **__have been added to the chat._

**Silent-*-Night: **The whole gang's here!

**Deep-Blue: **Not quite, gotta add one more.

_**Alison-Kingsley **__has been added to the chat._

**Alison-Kingsley: **Wow! It's pink and everything! Why is yours blue, Deep?

**Deep-Blue: **Actually, it's teal. Now meet everyone.

**Alison-Kingsley: **Hello everyone!

**DJR-Beale: **It's almost Christmas. Three hours to go.

**Moon 3: **It's been so long! Has everyone been good?

**Hikari-Akarui: **No, I've been very bad this year. I've not even asked for anything, but I think my uncle's gotten me something anyway.

**Moon 3: **That's kind!

**Hikari**-**Akarui**: Yeah, I guess.

_**The Contractor: **__Merry Christmas._

**Hikari-Akarui: **_Contractor_?

**Chase**: Wow, that's not happened before.

**DJR-Beale: **That really is unusual. Maybe we've met his demands or something.

David was lolling against the arm of his sofa, having already watched a thousand corny movies, but he was now, cheerfully, getting ready for bed, putting the large, unwieldy boxes in his kitchen and smiling at his mother and step-father.

"Good Night," he said.

"We'll make sure to turn the fire off before Santa gets an unpleasant surprise," his step-father teased.

"Santa's magic, so his ass wouldn't get burnt, see?" his sister, Jayne, pointed out, smiling as she continued the overly long joke. "I'll see you lot in the morning." She eyed her brother fiercely. "And _you _don't get me up so early, got it?"

"One's a good time to get up," David said defensively, hopping up the stairs with his net-book balancing on one arm and a bottle of coke hidden in the crook of his other.

"It's not," his sister retorted, smiling. "I'm going straight to bed tonight… Quicker I sleep, quicker I wake and all! Goodnight, bro,"

"Yeah, you too," David waved his sister into her room before wobbling into his room, falling onto his bed and letting the bottle fall onto the carpet and roll away and his net-book close from the half-open position it had been in. He carefully lifted the slim, black device onto the computer chair sitting haphazardly at the head of his head and then tugged his duvet around him. He lifted his phone out and put it on the bed beside him, knowing how Digital Fields had no sense of time. The lights were turned way down low, his stomach was filled with warm pizza and he knew that tomorrow he'd see everyone he loved… His mom, his dad, his step-dad and his sister…

X x x

There was a sickening feeling of being eaten. It was making David's face drip with cold sweat and made him want to throw up all that pizza. He swung up and realised that this feeling wasn't of being eaten. It was the flame of his heart igniting. David grabbed his phone and checked. Yes, there was a digital field nearby. He'd just received a message from Zhane about him being there soon.

David sighed, glancing up at the clock. The soft ticking told him it was working, but the time featured behind the thick glass couldn't be true. It was midnight.

"Christmas Day…"

X x x

David had to walk all the way from his home to the middle of town, when he lived on the outskirts. He'd also had to walk in the unforgiving cold. He shivered, feeling his kneecaps click together.

The Digital Field was inside an old school, turned into the base of operations for an abstract education centre that David had once gone to. That made it familiar, but the shadows distorted it into a realm of fear and the digital field hiding inside made it worse. However, as David stood outside, feeling fear and nostalgia mix in with the horrible burning in his chest, he realised that the field was inside the building. David was outside. Not just outside, but in front of the gates. On top of said gates was spiralling barbed wire, glowing menacingly in the moonlight. David sighed, looking around shiftily before pulling out the sword hilt that was his weapon and igniting a blade of fire from it and slicing a hole in the thin bars of iron. They bent easily to the flame's will and suddenly David was in the grounds. He worried about the gate and about the cameras, but no-one was in the building, and the gate would be the least of the staff's worries when the battle was done.

The door was also burnt into nothingness and David heard crunching below his feet, felt ice chilling his soul, saw a frozen wasteland lying ahead of him. The familiar corridors of the building were gone, replaced with simple emptiness.

"What is this?" David questioned the soft snowfall, his eyes shifting uncomfortably around.

"An abstract digital field," Coronamon said, bobbing up to David. The flames that made his mane warmed David, but less so than the blaze of the sword at his side. "That means that the walls and restrictions this place once had have been temporarily replaced for the Digital Field's own perimeters. It's not unheard of."

"It's just… Empty," David whispered, astounded. He was brought out of this, however, by a firm slap on his back.

"David," Zhane said, hopping from foot to foot while Kumamon brooded at his side. "This place is strange, huh…?" as he spoke, the snowfall started to increase. It was a sudden shift, as if the Field was protecting itself from intruders. David gasped, seeing the intensity of the large white flakes. It was very nearly a white-out. He was only wearing gear for regular walking and was in no way prepared for this. He reached out to tug on Zhane's arm, but found it was non-existent and calling did him no good at all. He wasn't even sure if Zhane was near or far anymore, just that he was gone.

This fear, however, was quickly eclipsed by a more important fear, as the sound of two gunshots went off.

"Zhane?" David panicked, but soon realised that Zhane wasn't the target as he felt a sharp, screaming pain tearing his shoulder apart. David didn't scream, though. He gaped, unable to make noise as the force of the tiny metal shot forced him back into the snow. It froze the injury and David knew that it made the wound worse, so he struggled upward, shaking and breathing heavily. His hand dug through the snow blindly, making David realise how deep the white hurricane had fallen, until his fingers brushed the hard, gritty ground. A barrier of hard, solid earth instantly formed, so David rested on it, his shaky fingers feeling the long, straight bone that made his shoulder. The bullet hadn't torn away any important tendons or muscles.

After checking the injury, David rolled around onto his knees, holding out his hand, waving it and watching the thick stone began to morph into diamond and lengthen until it resembled a razor-sharp chain, and then throwing it in the direction of the gunshots. A yell told David he'd hit his target and he smiled evenly, wobbling to his feet and watching as the snow slowly let up. David saw his attacker and the flames of his rage burned more brightly. That hair, thin and straight falling to the middle of his neck, those eyes, black as night and that weapon, sleek and steel clutched in his right hand. It was definitely that bastard. Kaoru Arakawa.

"Kaoru Arakawa," David cried, wobbling forwards. He saw that there was a deep, thick cut in his shoulder, separating his neck from his circular shoulder bone. It looked horrible, but David was glad for the injury. It slowed his foe down.

"Who are you?" Kaoru questioned dully. He obviously didn't check the Network enough. David was usually mass-posting like a madman. And, for various reasons, stalking Kaoru's blog.

"I'm David Jonathon Richard—" David began, but Coronamon dashed around from David's back to the front of him, jumping up so that he was almost eye-to-eye with his partner. Opposite David, Kaoru's flying rat did the same to him.

"David, stop quarrelling like this, you child," Coronamon instructed bluntly. "Listen to this; the Digimon of this field is empathic."

"Empathic?" David questioned. He knew the meaning of the word. Just not how it related.

"Since its Christmas, its sensing that snow is what you 'want', shall we say, and that's probably why the Field's abstract! That means that this field is maybe not entirely snowy!"

"And this Field is special in more than two ways," Tsukaimon added brightly. "It connected this English building with the library back in Japan!"

"And this field is mine, hippy, back off," Kaoru warned. The boy's thin, bony form was somehow menacing, though David quickly put that down to the revolver in his long-fingered hand.

"Actually, Kaoru?" Tsukaimon asked delicately. The blonde turned sharply, eyes slitting and mouth contorting into a scowl. "This field is theirs. They kind of came in about twelve seconds before us."

"What? Well then," Kaoru said sharply. "I guess we'll leave them to it. Tsukaimon?"

"Wait, no," Coronamon cried suddenly. Kaoru didn't stop, his snow boots crunching in the inches of cold foam, but Tsukaimon slowed, flapping his purple wings. "We could team up! I feel that this one's ultimate. It's bloody strong."

"My first hunt was ultimate," Kaoru said plaintively, walking on.

"But we could really use your help," Coronamon said, while David stared on in horror.

"…Okay," Tsukaimon said suddenly. Kaoru stopped, and a sudden silence formed as the crunch from his boots died away. "We'll take that."

"There's no 'we'," Kaoru said sharply. "Do what you like."

"You know that if we're separated we'll die, Kaoru…" Tsukaimon replied, trying to stop his partner from leaving.

"Then we'll die. Shame," Kaoru shrugged and walked on, until David decided to intervene on behalf of Tsukaimon.

"Kaoru, wait," David stepped forward; his old trainers slamming so hard into the snow that they managed to touch the earth below. He smiled. This was an advantage. "You can teleport," he pointed out.

"Obviously," Kaoru snapped, though he stopped.

"And I can do this." A short path of earth sprang up below David's feet. "If you can teleport us to the digimon, then I could use my powers to back you. Because that's all I'm good for with Mr. Perfect around," David's bitter tone didn't go unnoticed, but Kaoru's heartstrings were tugged a bit thinking about how little Christmas Spirit he'd ever had. And it wasn't hospitality, pity, or even the love of having his ego petted that made Kaoru agree. It was the feeling that he needed to do something worth doing. Make _himself _proud of the life he'd led, and help be part of making Christmas easier for everyone. Moping just wasn't Kaoru's style.

"Fine. But ever mention this to anyone and I'll kill you. I know where you live," Kaoru sounded joking, but there was a hint of dangerousness beneath that, and the glint in his eyes showed David that he wasn't about jokes and good cheer. Even at Christmas everything was deadly serious. Probably because it was.

X x x

"Can't you teleport right?" David snapped, pushing Kaoru away from him. The demon of Kyoto was tougher than he looked; even with the deep wound in his shoulder, he didn't topple into the snow.

"I can," Kaoru hissed icily. "My senses are off because I'm tired," David was about to retort coldly about his skills, but then he stopped. It was a citadel made of ice, beautiful, reflecting the four's faces. Kaoru had finally gotten it right.

"Should we go inside?" David asked numbly. Kaoru seemed less willing to let go of his anger, but nodded, thin hair obscuring his eyes. Kaoru and Coronamon went in first, Coronamon wobbling unsurely, afraid that it would melt around him, and as David followed, Tsukaimon apologized softly.

"I'm sorry for Kaoru's behaviour," Tsukaimon whispered. "He gets fields in the middle of the night all the time. He wasn't even asleep when the notification of this one came around."

"It was earlier in Japan, though, huh?" David said softly.

"I don't know," Tsukaimon replied. "Time isn't my forte… Though I know that Kaoru hadn't slept."

The innards of the ice citadel were as expected; beautiful, with many ornate decorations. The most ornate of these being a statue of an angel praying. It was beautiful… David took a breath, walking toward the statue, but the wings suddenly unfolded, the resulting blast throwing David backwards into one of the ice pillars. He shivered as he fell, crashing into the ground.

"So, the infidels have reached the holy capital?" the angel was actually Angemon, a holy Digimon. "Then, may I be forgiven for the sin I am about the commit, I must destroy you to stop further horrors spilling into my world." He hardly paused before dashing past David, who was curled up with his hand holding his injured shoulder, and stopping before Kaoru and Tsukaimon. "The biggest sinner is the boy with the antichrist? Well, I'll have to kill you both! Hand of Fate!" the attack threw Kaoru away as well as Tsukaimon and they were both left in sprawling heaps. David screamed Kaoru's name and Coronamon tried a futile attack, but Kaoru answered neither. He just lay in a heap, hardly breathing and covered in ice.

"Shit… He's using holy techniques on my dark digimon." He stopped for a second, wondering who was the largest sinner and who was the antichrist, before remembering that neither mattered. He was just another misguided digimon gone mad. "Tsukaimon?" Kaoru crawled over to the still mass of digimon and hugged his closely. "We're gonna have to waste yet more memories."

"Kaoru…" Tsukaimon nuzzled him. "Thank you."

"Idiot," Kaoru muttered, before standing with Tsukaimon in his arms. "Champion Battle Digivolution! The fallen angel arises from hell! I give these five memories to bring him to me!" Kaoru knew the long-ass speech wasn't necessary, but hey, there was company. Kaoru through the five DigiMemories in the air, half the usual count due to a device he'd traded with _The Contractor _to receive, and smiled as Tsukaimon glowed the usual Grief Purple and was transformed into an elegant angel. A gasp from just to Kaoru's right alerted him to the presence of another hunter, a friend of the first, assumedly, because he talked in the same accent.

"Is that… Digivolution? It's beautiful! More than I could've imagined…" the boy's eyes were glazed with happiness, but the Kumamon at his side was smarter than it looked, jumping to Coronamon's aid. Kaoru just ignored him, focussing on the digimon that was standing in front of him. A near mirror image of the first angel, this 'Piddomon' was smiling at his partner.

"What now?" His smooth voice asked. It was an improvement over Tsukaimon's squeak, at least.

"Use Fire Feather and kick his ass into the ground," Kaoru instructed.

"A battle of Angels on Christmas Morn? Epic!" the boy, who Kaoru later knew as Zhane, was smiling in anticipation as Piddomon obeyed his orders and sent a blast of fire towards his foe. The other angel stumbled, dazed, and that's when Piddomon went in for the kill, mercilessly shooting flame after flame at the angel until it fell to its knees, hands together and praying a final time as the flaming hole in its back was finally completed, a last Fire Feather shooting through his chest and burning his hand as he dissipated into data. David and Kaoru received DigiMemories, smiling, (Zhane received none, even though Kumamon fought, because he didn't have any spare Memory Cards on him to be corrupted into DigiMemories).

However, the field didn't revert. It fell Semi-Transparent and Kaoru gasped in horror.

"It was only Slave-Drive?" he cried before his voice was gone, so was he and David and Zhane were blasted out, tumbling along the ground.

"David," Zhane breathed. "What happened?"

"It was a Slave-Drive digimon; a weaker cohort to the main, most powerful digimon. I was wondering why it was Champion, but God it was strong for a Slave-Drive." David touched his still-injured shoulder tentatively.

"And about your shoulder?"

"Kaoru shot it," David said, quickly adding to his statement; "but the bullet's gone now. I got it out while we were teleporting all over the shop. I can just bandage it now and I forgave Kaoru anyhow."

"So what now?" Zhane asked quietly.

"We go home. There's nothing more we can do tonight." David replied.

"Well… Merry Christmas, then, David," Zhane wished softly.

"Yes," David said gently. "Merry Christmas."

**Next Time: **_The Contractor_ posts a prophecy on the Network, saying the World will end in 2012, but not in a molten hot wave of lava or a crazy Earth shift! He invites us Hunters to try and stop this, but how can we when we don't know what's going on? Is it us digimon? While everyone gets ready for the New Year, Kaoru feels that his Sister is beginning to realise that Tsukaimon's around! That's all from me, Coronamon, I guess, but don't forget to tune in for next episode; "Dawn before the Dusk, Happy New Year!"g


	6. Book 1: Draft: Episode 06 New Years Eve

Kaoru was lying back in a hospital bed, breathing slowly. He thought about his battle on Christmas Day. That was near a week ago now. He hadn't been able to use DigiMemories to heal his shoulder. He imagined that it was another one of _The Contractor_'s little things. He hadn't told Kaoru he could heal with DigiMemories either. He'd discovered that on the mysterious Dharc's blog. The blog didn't mention that injuries made by D-Arms wouldn't heal.

When he'd gotten home, exhausted and tired, he was met by his mother, sister and father, all frantic that he hadn't been in his bed. His shoulder, which had a large slice in it, hadn't gone down well at all. A panicked phone call, an ambulance ride and minor surgery later, he was here. His mother had tried to get it out of him what had happened, but Kaoru hadn't even done her the pleasure of replying. He'd tried to escape the hospital a few times, but this was certainly no anime and he'd been gently taken back to his bed.

No hunting for almost a week. Tsukaimon was going out of his mind.

**Episode Six: Dawn before the dusk, Happy New Year!**

The time was ticking away, slowly, as Hikari's family sat awkwardly around the TV. She was shaking slightly, unable to relax. All of her family were chatting in Japanese, but she didn't want to join in. Ever since the crash she hadn't been doing much talking to anyone. Her uncle had gotten closer to her, but he had the hints of this foreign accent and acted foreign… But either way, Hikari wanted to hold onto him.

"Do you want anything to eat, Hikari?" he whispered to her, speaking in English. Hikari smiled at him for trying to make her feel more comfortable, but she refused having anything to eat. She wanted to make her New Year's Resolution at Midnight. She didn't want to eat and risk making herself sleepy, though the food seemed more and more tempting.

"Gakkō o tanoshimini shite?" an aunt asked brightly. She was asking her about school, whether she was looking forward to it or not. Hikari knew the real answer; no. She didn't like school because she was different. The kids were fairly accepting, but no-one else could possibly understand. Her teachers and even most of the students, were delicate when it came to parental issues. It was all okay… Except that it wasn't. Hikari couldn't stand how they all spoke in an alien language. They _alien_ated her without knowing it. They didn't mean to, they were acting the way they always had, but they did. Hikari sighed.

"E e, watashi wa suisoku suru." Hikari replied listlessly. "Yeah, I guess" seemed like the best answer. Her aunt passed it over as Hikari being a typical teenager and flounced off.

_Why don't I fit in anymore? I fit in fine in Japan… And then we come here… I don't fit in with the Canadians, but I don't fit in with the Japanese anymore either… _Hikari sniffed quietly until she was pulled up by her cousin.

"Watashi wa kono dansu,-hikarichan o motte mo īdesu ka?" he asked her for a dance and Hikari laughed, tipping her head at him. She decided to reuse her old answer;

"E e, watashi wa suisoku suru," and she walked off into the cleared end of the living room with him.

X x x

_Yours, the Contractor_

It was even signed with his name. His signature was like it had been typed on a computer, but Deep knew that it was handwriting somehow. The letter had arrived this morning, which was a little unnerving.

The Network had just blown up. The admin hadn't come on to stop the chaos. No. He loved it. Deep was breathing heavily and had been since this morning. He didn't even go out to the docks; he holed up in his room, reading the letter over and over. He was shivering as he read it, possibly for the hundredth time.

_Dear Deep,_

_This letter is addressed to you, and should reach you on the morning of the Thirty-first of December. If not, then I have been busy and I greatly apologize._

_I have something to tell you. It's more like a prophesy, or a riddle, but you must know, for I wish to see if you will try to stop the impossible. I love to see how Hunters react… You never fail to rise to an occasion._

_The Ultimate Hunter is rising, and with their highest hour will come your lowest; it will be the last thing that you ever feel. The world will end when they reach their highest point and I welcome you to try to stop the inevitable._

_I'm sure that you will try stunningly, the way you always do._

_Yours, The Contractor._

_On a side note, I think I may have to take up your nickname, Deep._

It was so personal, with a note specifically to him. Alison must've gotten one too, but Deep didn't want to see her, and she wouldn't sneak into his home. Or at least, he hoped she wouldn't. He sighed, wishing that she hadn't become a hunter. Then her life wouldn't rest so heavily on his conscience.

"I never liked that conscience of yours," scolded Sorcerermon softly. "It holds back the ruthless hunter inside of you."

"That would make me more monster than man," replied Deep miserably. "And you know that I couldn't possibly."

"Oh, Deep…" Sorcerermon's deep groan answered. "That's you, though, that's you,"

"Sorcerermon," Deep said softly, feeling brotherly love warm his numb heart. "When the world's left me behind, you'll always be by my side, telling me you told me so."

"I will," his friend laughed. "Though I wouldn't have to if you'd just do as I said,"

X x x

All over the world, whether it was close to midnight or not, excitement was chilling everyone's bones. The world's Hunters just stopped to look up at the sky, eyes wide with hope, knowing that beneath that sky, there were more than a thousand others. They couldn't possibly be alone with those odds.

In Australia, beneath a dark evening sky, a short, blonde-haired boy stood, watching the stars fly across the sky with such accuracy. In beautiful Rome, three travellers stood, a sleepy girl leaning tiredly into an older boy's chest, his arms were wrapped around her comfortingly while his friend stared, enchanted, into the dark night sky. A brash red-haired girl sat on her windowsill, gazing out and wishing that dreams came true, a young beige-haired boy sat on a roof in Japan, a dark-haired girl in New Zealand smiled and through a mask, the loneliest hunter smiled, knowing that this beauty truly meant he was not alone.

"This world is beautiful, when it wants to be," David commented, staring out of the window. "Beautiful…" he sighed, turning around to the boy sitting on the sofa in his apartment, twitching with what David wasn't sure was fear or excitement.

"This letter is no joke," Zhane said darkly. David sighed. His heart was, indeed racing at the thought of the world's end; he had so many people that he didn't want it to end for; his little sister, his baby sister, his mom, dad, step-mom and all his friends… But he didn't really acknowledge that much. That numb feeling was fear for himself, he was sure.

"Zhane," David said shortly. "Calm down. I never said it was a joke. It might be that 2012 mythos shit," David breathed slowly. He'd never wanted it to be April 1st more in his life.

"At least your letter was personal," Zhane growled. "Mine hasn't got a message to me. It just has my name…"

"You've not been at this as long," David replied carefully. "Besides, that's not what's important. What's important is what the letter says." David had read it once and then left. His sister had interrogated him roughly, at first worriedly, but when he tried to suggest that he was off to see a female friend, she'd erupted in giggles and just let him go. His family were getting more and more suspicious of him.

"I don't want the world to end, David," Zhane said, his voice suddenly shaky. "I don't want to die. I don't want everyone I love to die…"

"And they won't. As hunters, we'll stop this problem." David smiled warmly. "It's okay, you know. We'll be okay."

"Have you been able to get onto the Network? It's still slow for me…" Zhane sighed, shaking his phone in mere aggravation.

"Hey, yeah! I'm on. And… I've got a message!" David clicked a few buttons on his small, easy-to-use phone. "It's from Kaoru!"

"That Arakawa bastard? He hasn't been online since Christmas Day," Zhane replied. David grinned at Zhane wryly. He'd been wondering for a while if Zhane was jealous of the strong skill the jerk had shown. Zhane's hostility was certainly a hint.

"Yeah, it says; _Hey, David. I'm in hospital thanks to what you did, but my arm's fine. I didn't know if you'd care, but you seem the kind to worry. Anyway, you seem to be good at fighting, so I thought I'd drop you a line about that letter. It reached me in the hospital. As in, it was delivered right to the hospital. Anyway, we need to find who the strongest hunter is and shoot him. If it's me (Ha, yeah right) I'll put the trigger to my own head and shoot._" David paused, going over it again. "Okay, that's strange."

"I'd put the trigger and shoot him if he wasn't the strongest," Zhane said darkly.

"You wouldn't, Zhaney," David teased cheerfully. Zhane gave his friend a look of utter contempt, further showing that he saw this as anything but funny. David sighed, holding his phone up, on the reply screen, but unable to find the words. _If looks could kill_…

"Kuma!" declared Zhane's phone noisily. He blinked at it, a little taken aback, before leaning backwards, depositing it unceremoniously on the floor. "Zhane? Damn, calm down, Kuma!"

"Shut up, Kumamon," A crackly voice called from David's phone.

"Guys—" David began unsurely.

"Shut up, David, this is a fight between me and him!" Coronamon's voice turned to grunts for a few moments as the pair fought and David sighed. It was quite annoying that they were fighting like this. After a while, however, there was laughter. David blinked and he saw Zhane start in surprise too.

"That was so pointless," Kumamon gurgled, laughing.

"That was," agreed Coronamon cheerfully. "I've made loads of new friends over this year~! David, this is the best Christmas ever! Even though you gave me no present, pointed glare, I got one in that over these two weeks alone I met Tsukaimon, Kaoru, Zhane and made friends with that Kuma-jerk!"

"Present? What could I give you, you're digital," David replied sharply, although he was laughing. Zhane was chuckling lowly, too, though he seemed unwilling to part with his anger yet. Laughing and laughing. They were laughing, because if they didn't, the fear and weight of the two letters lying on the coffee table would bring them to tears.

X x x

Everyone was asleep. It was past midnight, Hikari had made her resolution. She vowed to be stronger for those relying on that strength. She could only really think of one person, but she didn't really want to be useless. That's what everyone fears, isn't it, being useless? Many of Hikari's family were sleeping in odd places due to the lack of room, but Hikari's room had been made off-limits. So she was standing alone, in her tiny, square room, looking out of her window.

It was almost the size of the wall, it was so big, and when Hikari couldn't sleep, which was often due to nightmares, she liked to just sit and stare out along the darkened streets, lit only by tall lamps.

But tonight, there was something interesting to see. A boy was walking along self-consciously, checking his phone again and again. Was he a Hunter? Wait, no, that red hair should've been a dead give-away. Chase was looking for her house! Hikari turned, pulling her boots on and dashing down the stairs. Jumping over left over party items, she ran to the door and opened it.

Fireworks were still going off and the atmosphere was shaking as the redhead turned to look at Hikari, smiling awkwardly.

"Hikari, why are you up?" he asked, acting nonchalant about it.

"I could ask the same. Were you looking for me?" Hikari asked quietly. When Chase sighed and nodded, grinning weakly, Hikari felt her eyes tear up. "Why couldn't it wait 'til morning?"

"Because I need to go now," Chase said. Hikari's heart skipped a beat. "I've trained you for a while now, and you're really good. But now that that's over with, and these letters have come, I must embrace the fact that I was born a fighter, not a teacher."

"What does that even mean, Chase?" Hikari asked sharply. "Watashi deserve to know the truth,"

"Um… You do, yes," Chase nodded. "That was the truth, but I don't think I said it correctly; the letters have been traced to Stone Henge, so I'm meeting up with an old friend and we're going to England. We want to stop this… What _The Contractor _said in his letter… You can come if you like. But that's completely up to you. Your family can't know. I don't have that problem. You'll just have to… Vanish. That's not what I expect you to do."

"I can… come?" Hikari didn't know what to answer with. She was just so confused.

X x x

"And that's why," the deep, icy voice proclaimed, "the dark can destroy you!" a stab and crunch later, the digimon was gone and Deep was given a new handful of DigiMemories.

"There aren't many," he commented shortly, as Sorcerermon made his way over. "I wonder—"

"Deep!" a pair of warm arms brushed his shoulders and then they linked around his waist. "I thought you were gonna hide in your room all day! But then you left, but you went into a field. I'm not used to that, it sent my senses all wonky,"

"Alison." Deep said, breaking free of the child's grasp. "Alison, I have something to say,"

"Yes," Sorcerermon added, taking a forceful step towards the flaming bird behind Alison. "To you, child, and you, monster."

"Deep, I've got this for you!" Alison ran toward Deep. He tried to step back, terrified, but what she dropped into his hand were some DigiMemories. "I figured it out! _The Coagulator _came and congratulated me in person! But I knew that they would only go to my Deep~y!"

"Alison, it's _The Contractor. _Thanks for this, but I shouldn't take it," Deep tried to return them, but Alison jumped backwards, cackling lovingly. "I'm leaving anyway, Alison. I needed to take care of this field first, but now I'm going."

"G-Going…?"

"And if you follow us, your experience will not be enjoyable," Sorcerermon warned. "We're not Mary. Go find someone else, little lost lambs,"

"You holier-than-thou bastard!" cried Birdramon, flying furiously towards Sorcerermon. Sorcerermon blocked her attack silently, warping the remnant of the dead digimon's field into his own.

"Calm down, you oversized peacock," Sorcerermon growled darkly. "Don't get too far in over your head. Your kid's only had one hunt."

"She doesn't need to be strong! What matters is that I am!" Birdramon hissed, flapping her flaming wings agitatedly. She flew toward Sorcerermon, this time with even more evil intent, but she was hit with something that knocked her back. Alison grunted too, frowning in confusion.

"Deep! My hero, you stopped the fight!" his trident was now embedded in the ground where Birdramon had been, being covered by the snow of the digital field. The blunt, "stick" side of the stick had hit her, too, so as not to injure her or anything like that.

"Alison, can't you just give it up? This isn't a game, or an anime or anything, it's real life and it could kill you. I refuse to look after you as if you were a child!" Deep's pupils were small as he raged, but it did nothing to discourage the smaller girl.

"Are you having a bad day, Deep? It's okay, I won't bother you anymore today, but tomorrow you'll be happy again and so will I!" Alison was smiling. She knew it all too well and Deep hated that.

"Maybe I will, Alison, maybe I won't," He stepped towards her menacingly. "But I'm not a hero. I'm a monster."

"You're always acting Mr. Hero," Sorcerermon hissed spitefully.

"Well I'm tired of acting," Deep replied wearily.

"But acting has its flaws and it's joys. Don't forget that, Deep. Don't succumb to that pain again," Sorcerermon decided to let his pride die for a moment, as he added; "I might complain, but that's you. You'd cease to be if you lost this side."

"This side doesn't exist," Deep said shakily, before dissipating the field and walking unsurely through the dark.

X x x

"I'll make you some tea," Hikari offered quietly. She'd ushered Chase inside and dragged him in secret to her room. Even if he was just Chase, and even if she was a respectable lady, it made her heart race to have a boy in her room. Chase nodded, to rid the awkwardness, and Hikari slid downstairs and quietly boiled the kettle.

_I want very much to go with Chase. I don't know if I can handle hunting on my own. What if I died? I don't want Chase to have that on his shoulders… And yet, what about my family? Can I really leave them? _A little part of Hikari said yes. She was an outsider to them now, different, so why not leave? But that didn't make it right at all.

The kettle clicked, but she did nothing, reaching for the charger leaning on the side. She freed her phone from its grasp and waved her gem around, allowing her to check the Network. So long after the letter's arrival and it was still so slow. It hadn't done much to Hikari. She didn't really want the world to end, but a bit of her would love it to, so that she wouldn't have to face future trials. She sighed, happening across a name she recognised. One of Chase's lectures had mentioned his name.

**Hikari-Akarui: **Hello!

**Arakawa: **…?

**Hikari-Akarui: **I'm Hikari. A friend of Chase's.

**Arakawa: **Chase…?

**Hikari-Akarui: **Um… Yes…

**Arakawa: **…

**Hikari-Akarui: **Word is that you're really strong!

**Arakawa: **…And?

**Hikari-Akarui: **I don't know. I was just looking for an answer.

**Arakawa: **…Answer?

**Hikari-Akarui: **I don't know whether to go to England or not.

**Arakawa: **…England?

**Hikari-Akarui: **Word is everyone who's anyone is gathering there to find a solution.

**Arakawa: **…To the letter?

**Hikari-Akarui: **Yup. Are you going, Arakawa-Sempai?

**Arakawa: **…-Sempai?

**Hikari-Akarui: **In hunting.

**Arakawa: **…I see. No, I don't think so. I'm in hospital.

**Hikari-Akarui: **Why?

**Arakawa:** … I had my shoulder sliced.

**Hikari-Akarui: **Wow! Ouch…

**Arakawa: **…If Hunters are gathering there, I would go, Akarui-Kohai.

**Hikari-Akarui: **-Kohai?

**Arakawa: **…Goodbye.

_**Arakawa **__has signed out._

Hikari stared at her phone for a while, contemplating the conversation they'd had before remembering the tea. She turned, feeling a little more elated, answer in mind.

**Next Time: **It's me, Apemon, and I gotta tell you, the New Year is definitely new as Chase and Deep meet up, ready to take on this new challenge! Hikari makes her decision, and tries to follow her desires, believing they're right, while Alison decides to take matters into her own hands and become a woman all by herself! If you want to know what the hell that means, check in next time; "Darkest before the Dawn, Welcome to 2012!"


	7. Book 1: Draft: Episode 07 New Years Day

The icy cold wind whistling across the frozen docks did nothing to tell of the New Year that had arrived in the night. It was dawn, quite dark with shadows being cast far from objects where light was released. Deep shivered, holding his bare arms as he waited for Chase to arrive. He'd been practising the skill of making Cross-Continent Digital Fields all night. He thought that he'd gotten it down at long last.

"You're early, Deep," Sorcerermon muttered. "You could've at least attempted to get some sleep."

"That can be my Resolution," Deep replied wearily. "To get more sleep. I couldn't sleep, though, not tonight. I'm seeing Chase for the first time in months!"

"I'm glad that excites you," Sorcerermon said dryly. "Why did you buy that for Chase? I bet he didn't get you anything at all," Sorcerermon glowered at the gift, carefully wrapped, in Deep's arms. He'd been a long-time hater of Deep's good friend Chase, mostly because of his selfless influence, which made Deep even worse at looking out for only himself.

"It doesn't matter," Deep said icily. "This is because Chase's been worried about me. That was kind of him."

"How much did you waste on those?" Sorcerermon growled. Chase's parcel contained an internet connection in the form of a dongle and an iPad, which hadn't really set Deep back much. His family was quite wealthy due to his father owning a successful company, and though the Recession had caused decline in business, Deep was still an only child and his parents were still careful spenders.

"Around…" Deep started cheerfully, but his tone reminded him of Alison. She was still not really helping, and the events at Christmas and last night hadn't helped things. "Alison…"

"You spent Alison on it? Good job," Sorcerermon replied sarcastically. "Is she still bothering you?"

"Is your memory failing you?" Deep sighed. "Of course she is."

"Don't worry. She gave you DigiMemories, right?" Sorcerermon asked slyly, and his partner nodded, pulling up the small handful of chips. "Well, if she keeps giving you those, she'll vanish into thin air, just like that. Problem solved…"

**Episode Seven: Darkest before Dawn! Welcome to 2012!**

"Zhane," David smiled, striding into the dark-haired boy's apartment and glancing around the small, lit living room.

"Why'd you call, man?" Zhane asked, blinking. "I'm _tired_,"

"I know, Zhane," David said, ruffling his hair and laughing softly. "But some NetChat friends are coming over,"

"Over to my place?" Zhane's face suddenly turned from tired serenity to fearful rage in an instant, his eyes bulging and his face paling.

"No, over to England," David sighed, shaking his head. He'd found the moment priceless, and vowed to never let Zhane live it down. "It's Chase and Deep,"

"Oh…" Zhane remembered those Chats. They made him die a little bit inside. "Will they be jerks?"

"No, they're both very nice," David assured, smirking. "Anyway, get dressed you caveman, we've got to go up into town."

"At this time of the morning?" Zhane groaned, prompting David to smirk again, but before he could give another smartass reply, Coronamon answered.

"Sorry, Zhane," he said. "But town is our rendezvous point with the Americans. Since it's so Early it'll likely be all but deserted, especially if we don't go anywhere near the bars."

"Can't we do it near the bars in the daytime?"

"No." Kumamon answered bluntly. "Now dress." Zhane slinked off, while David, watched, already anticipant for meeting his friends, and for the delivery of the news that Chase and Deep would be staying with him for the rest of their visit.

X x x

"All Hunters are gathering," Chase said quietly, edging closer to the wall while sipping his tea. "Almost all of us are… And so are you,"

"Yeah… I hope I made the right decision, Chase-Kun," Hikari fiddled with her own tea, staring at the sleek floorboards of a room she may never see again.

"You have," Chase replied gravely. "Any weak links now will be killed by Hunters like the Lone Demon."

"…" Hikari felt a little dumb, clutching her phone for strength. "Who?"

"Sorry, I forgot that I haven't explained Titles to you yet," Chase shook his head, smiling. "What I mean to say is that titles are usually chosen by Hunters based on tactics. The Lone Demon is Kaoru Arakawa, because he works alone and has a reputation for being a ruthless demon, and mine's the Howling Wind."

"I see…" Hikari really didn't, but it was rude to say so. Besides, they couldn't be all that accurate because Kaoru seemed okay to her.

"It's something you should be thinking about. Titles are something to be renowned and feared; they're part of what makes a Hunter terrifying." Chase said icily. "It's also something that you should choose for yourself, Hikari."

"For myself?" Hikari thought, trying to come up with one then and there. She was completely sure on what to do for one. So she sighed, leaving it. "When are we going to meet your friend?"

"We'll go soon," Chase replied, setting his teacup delicately on the table.

X x x

Kaoru thought for a long time about what the random girl had said. He'd replied in the most polite way possible because he was tired. If he ever met that girl he'd have to prove to her that he wasn't nice and that she had to stay away. He hated company.

_Word is everyone who's anyone is gathering there to find a solution._

England. It really wasn't that far when you consider that he'd been there before. He could just teleport. It would be simple. Of course, he'd train for a while. His shoulder was healing up well. Just because he wasn't allowed out of hospital, didn't mean that he couldn't function with it. If he took care of himself better, it wouldn't get infected.

_Is that what I should do_? He wondered. _England's so far away. I might never come back. My parents will worry… Reiko will worry… But it'd be easier on them if I left anyway. I'm stopping them playing Happy Families._

Kaoru made his mind up, lifting his iPhone up in his right hand. He carefully generated a room-sized Digital Field and swung himself up, gingerly avoiding movement of his left arm and making his bed carefully.

"What're we doing, Kaoru?" Tsukaimon asked cheerfully, flapping his wings beside him and smiling cheerfully. "What's up, what's up?"

"We're leaving," Kaoru said simply. "Now stop acting gormless and help me look like I didn't just up and run away."

"Aren't you, though?" Tsukaimon asked pointedly.

"Yes. No. I don't know. It doesn't matter," Kaoru's eyes snapped up to him. "I'll be coming back at some point. I'm not gonna let someone kill me."

"How're ya gonna explain _that_?" Tsukaimon asked.

"I was kidnapped, madmen let me out, the doctors here suck," Kaoru replied. "Anything."

"Okay then," Tsukaimon laughed. "So are we going to England now, Ruru?"

"Wh- Ruru?" Kaoru turned murderously to the sound of his sister's childish nickname for him.

"I like it, you should use it more often, Kaoru," giggled Tsukaimon. He saw the look on Kaoru's face and sighed. "It was a joke."

"Anyway, we're not going to England right away. We're training first." Kaoru pushed Tsukaimon and retrieved his clothes, pulling them all on and wrapping his scarf around his neck. "Come on." He grabbed Tsukaimon, and as they left, closed the field, leaving no indication that he was ever there.

X x x

"Is now soon enough?" Hikari said, after an extended awkward silence. Chase sighed, checking the small clock on the wall, luckily in Roman Numerals.

"Yeah, I guess that we could go now," Chase held up his D-Spacer and created a Digital Field, before calling Deep. "Deep?"

"Yes?" the voice replied over the phone. It sounded warm, but Hikari couldn't differentiate the accent very well.

"Could you open the Digital Field for me?" Chase asked, smiling slightly as he spoke, fiddling with the rough texture of the back of his phone.

"Oh…" the voice of Deep answered. "Yeah, give me a moment. I'm gonna need to lock onto your field,"

"Alright," Chase replied, and the phone line was cut. "It'll be a moment," he added, glancing toward Hikari like she hadn't heard him. She nodded, wondering what this person would be like. She imagined strange. She carefully fixed her face into a natural-looking tired face, checking it in her phone and stood, shaking slightly as she looked all around her house and wobbling beside Chase.

A few minutes later, the field warped, and digital code coalesced into two humanoid figures, before forming into tangible forms of a regular human and a humanoid digimon.

The boy was quite tall and disturbingly muscle-bound, tanned with a pointed face and shiny, teal hair that reached his broad shoulders. It spiked up in well developed juts over his head. The digimon beside him looked like Wizardmon with a decidedly icy touch; he regarded her coldly from his position just behind the tall young man.

"Hey, Chase," presumably Deep said brightly, handing him a wrapped box. "Who's this?"

"Oh," Chase said in surprise, nodding graciously when he was handed the present. Chase dug in his own pocket for a small, wooden good luck charm and dropped it into the other guy's hand before replying; "that's Hikari. She's my apprentice, remember, I told you?"

"Yeah," Deep nodded slowly. "I just don't remember you telling me that she was coming with." Deep turned, nodding at Chase, who subsequently closed the field. "I'm Deep," he said, holding his hand out to Hikari. "You're under strictly your own supervision and I won't be taking part in your upkeep… Even so, it's nice to meet you."

"Yes," Hikari said, trying to keep her voice level so that she didn't show any of her surprise. "Konichiwa. Watashi wa Akarui Hikari."

"You're Japanese, then?" Deep said, grinning. Hikari nodded coldly. "What I said just now was a formality. Do you think you got major "Skillz" then, newbie?" Hikari blinked up at Deep, trying to appear careless, but his personality was hard to ignore.

"Not really," she answered, glancing downward. "Never mind,"

"Okay then," Deep replied, shrugging, "Let's open this DigiGate and wait, then!"

X x x

"I'm cold, it's too early, fireworks blinded me and I hate you," Zhane grumbled, stumbling along beside David in the New Year firework fog.

"No you don't," was David's only reply, as he strode determinedly ahead. They'd jointly decided to open the field outside the Library, because the library wouldn't be anywhere near open on a Sunday Morning.

"Hey…" Coronamon suddenly said making the over-alert David jump and span round, shocked and the under-alert Zhane do nothing. "David, calm down, it's me. You didn't open the field yet, did you?"

"Of course I haven't," David answered carefully. "You'd know,"

"Then I'm sensing a Digital Field just down from here in the Shopping District," Coronamon sighed. "Since your friends are coming, you should probably deal with it now… It's of no consequence though, just a really low level field."

"Damn…" David moaned. "Zhane, can I trust you to do this without cocking up while I'm gone?"

"Sure," Zhane said miserably. "Kumamon's here to give me a good kick up the ass if I start messing around anyways." David smiled appreciatively before running off through the dark and fading to a shadow while Zhane trudged unhappily on. "Dumb David going ahead and doing this without me…"

"You're doing it without him, Zhane," corrected Kumamon cheerlessly. "Come on, hurry up, and hurry up! Pick up the pace, man!" Zhane cursed to himself quietly, before standing up and marching on purposefully. The City Centre was so different deserted; the usually bustling streets were empty, making Zhane realise just how big it was. With the rush all the time, it seemed like the place was tiny and had to be expanded, but the sheer walking area was massive and the rows of buildings a good deal of feet apart. He glanced along to the road, long, wide and ultimately empty, the parking spots untaken, the unforgiving grey tarmac free to walk on.

Taking the emptiness in his stride, and waking up a bit, Zhane sprang from the curb, feet slamming into the road and walking where you risked being knocked down by cars friskily. He turned on the road, walking down to the dead-end of the road and springing onto the Town Square; large, with a statue standing erect in the centre. The massive library stood to one side, a great many stone steps leading up to it.

Zhane walked up them slowly, resisting the urge to start running crazily in circles. He reached the top, which was a large area of concrete that lead to various other buildings, and marched up to the library.

"Alright," he said hoarsely. "Here we are,"

"Then open the field," replied Kumamon irritably. Zhane nodded, lifting his D-Spacer and creating a digital field. He clicked onto NetChat and sent a quick message to the first one of the two he'd seen; Deep.

**Zhane-Tracer: **Alright. We're ready.

Shortly after, three… Wait, three? Digital beings appeared, striding towards him, before the code dissipated into a broad-shouldered, teal-haired boy, a well-tanned, moody-looking boy and a small girl.

"Hikari decided to come pretty last minute," the ginger one apologized. "I didn't see the point in sending you a message. It just seemed like a useless waste of time, but that's just me."

"We're Deep, me, Chase, the ginger bloke, and Hikari, the stuck-up bitch," the teal-haired boy said. His hair was a little shocking; the colouration so bright even in the dark of New Year's morning.

"Stuck-up bitch?" Hikari questioned blankly.

"Be more respectful, Deep," Chase said, trying not to smile at Deep's crude nickname for his apprentice. "She might just be shy."

"She's not," Deep said airily. "She's acting like a stuck-up bitch. If she were shy, I'd see it, but she's not." He paused as Zhane closed the field. "You know what's nice? Not having that kid at my shoulder."

"Where's David?" Chase asked, completely ignoring Deep. Hikari dithered behind him, unsure of whether to ask the dark-haired boy's name or to just leave it.

"He's… He's just—" Zhane began, but distant footsteps grew more pronounced and soon, out of the smog, came David's recognisably thin form. He hopped up the stairs without incident, and landed, breathlessly, at Zhane's side.

"I… I just… I ran here… The battle… Slave Drives… It, uh, took longer… 'Cuz of the Slave Drives," David breathed heavily. "Who's…? That?"

"This is Hikari Akarui, my apprentice," Chase replied, putting his hand neatly between Hikari's shoulder blades and pushing her forwards. She pulled a face weakly, nodding.

"Hai," she said quietly.

"Was that 'Hi'?" Zhane asked sleepily, returning to his zombie mode.

"Hai, yes in Japanese," David corrected. "I love Japanese Culture, it's really nice to meet you," David smiled warmly. "By the way… Zhane?"

"Wha…?"

"They are coming to yours… They're staying."

"Wh-_What_?"

X x x

Wandering round and round, searching desperately around the docks, but she knew he was gone. Alison knew that he was long gone. Her powers registered a very weak signal far, far away. England, like he'd said. He'd left her in the middle of the night, and he wouldn't have given her as much as a goodbye if she hadn't tackled him late the previous night. There was an empty feeling in her soul, and even just thinking of his unique name brought tears to her eyes.

"Why would he just leave me like that?" she asked the lake hopelessly. It splashed uselessly in reply. "Was I too needy? Did I act too useless? I was just new to this…" Alison stood, suddenly, scuffing her trainers on the wooden parquet. "That's right," she said, dropping her kid act and purposefully deepening her voice. "That's right! Deep ditched me like that because he thought I was a damn useless kid! Because I was! But I swear I won't be anymore, Deep…"

"Alison, don't be dumb. We get more territory, and that's good, right, especially if you're gonna stop acting like an eight-year-old,"

"Territory! Ha," Alison snorted darkly. "I'm going to hunt and get loads of DigiMemories. For Deep, to prove to him that I've done well! To prove it, prove it, prove it…"

"Wait, what?" Birdramon cried. "No, that's dumb! How'll we ever get up there with those other hunters? You get to be the very best by getting DigiMemories, buying devices that that _Contractor _bloke gives."

"I don't care," declared Alison. "Deep will come back one day, and he'll see I'm not a kid! He'll fall in love with me instantly, and we'll be together forever! True love, true love! Love at first sight, you name it, we'll do it!"

"He saw you before," Birdramon corrected sharply. "Didn't love you then, did he?"

"But I'll be different when he comes back," Alison replied happily. "It _will _be love at first sight… I swear that I'll make it so,"

X x x

However, the New Year's message was still causing panic all over the world; a passionate hunter wondered what to do about it in Australia;

"What do we do about this note?" he asked.

"You could do what you always do about important things like this; ignore it," his partner snapped.

"Say what you like," he responded sharply, though the ways of dealing with the letter were different with every single hunter and every group of hunters, demonstrated by the group in Rome;

"Have you heard the meeting places that are being set up? There are loads," a dark-haired, red-eyed boy commented.

"The main ones, I heard, are in England and here near the Coliseum," his longer haired friend commented.

"You're both wrong," their female companion muttered darkly. "We should head to Tokyo. The main gate's there, in the under-construction Sky Tree," meanwhile, in Tokyo, the resident hunter commented softly to himself;

"I expect that this is the beginning of a really bad year,";

A girl with red hair, smirked in the early morning, while her partner purred "Perfect..." and a masked man standing on his lonesome grimaced behind his mask.

"This feels like déjà vu… I won't let this happen... again... "

X x x

Zhane stalked melancholically beside David, glaring at the American/Canadian trio, who were walking just ahead, talking awkwardly. He was in a mood still, until an idea struck his mind. "Hey… David! Any ideas for Birthday Presents?"

**Next Time: **That's right, it's my birthday in six days time and it's just my luck that a Digimon would appear while I was enjoying myself. Even so, I've gotta prove to myself that it's not just Kaoru who can unleash his Digimon's true power, right Coronamon? Yes, that's right; I'll unleash it using my DigiMemories! You want to see that right? Well, tune in next time on Digimon: Rewrite! "17 today, happy birthday David! The searing flames of Firamon!"


	8. Book 1: Draft: Episode 08 David's BDay

Kaoru was sitting on a bench, wearing a coat that he'd bought for his time on the road. He was cold, tired and his shoulder ached, but he was too prideful to return to the Hospital now.

"Kaoru," a voice shocked Kaoru out of his unhappy fog. "Kaoru, Kaoru! There's a field. I think it's another hunter's!"

"Another Hunter…?" Kaoru asked, raising his phone to his ear so he didn't look like a crazy person talking to a phone. "That's impossible. I'd _know_ if there was another one. You don't think that David's come? Is it near the hospital?"

"No… it's in the park," Tsukaimon replied unsurely. "Let's go find out, Ruru!"

"Call me 'Ruru' once more and I'm shoving my D-Arms down your throat," Kaoru warned furiously, dashing off towards the park. The streets blended into the concrete grey blur as he ran, feeling the subdued terror of another hunter intelligent enough to create their own field being in his territory rush through his body.

"It's here," Tsukaimon said suddenly, causing Kaoru to stop so quickly that he fell forwards and made his shoulder burn painfully. He pushed himself up, hearing frantic talking.

"Thank you, if you see our son please tell us. He's got bleached blonde hair—he was just trying to get people to leave him alone, I think, but I freaked out so bad—oh, and he's got dark eyes, pale skin. He's wearing a scarf, as well," Kaoru looked up. His mother and his little sister were looking for him! He threw himself up onto his feet and ran through the park gate. He stopped, suddenly, to take in the surroundings. The Digital Field was Savannah-like, with warm sand beneath his feet, grass reaching up around small trees and training equipment dotted around.

"Arakawa-Kun," a pompous voice called. "What's the matter? Lost?"

"Who are you?" Kaoru snapped, turning to see nothing… Wait. He paused, seeing a shadowy boy leaning into the shadow of a large tree. It's long leaves reached down over his face, obscuring most of him from view. Only his feet, encased in expensive shoes and the start of his long legs were in view. He seemed to be some approximation of rich, due to his voice and the little sight of his clothes.

"Ore wa Takashi Eliot," he said, carefully fending Kaoru off with a shiny black cane. "And I'm not here to do anything violent, so you can put your D-Arms away."

"I'm not putting it away," Kaoru hissed, stepping forwards. Tsukaimon behind him flapped his leathery purple wings threateningly. "Why are you here?"

"Alright, alright, I'm the Tokyo Hunter," Eliot said sharply. Tokyo was a big place, as Kaoru knew, so he started to become more attentive, putting his revolver down a bit. "And I wanted to tell you, Lone Hunter, that there's going to be a big meeting place at the Tokyo Sky Tree soon. I mean, you're you."

"The Sky Tree…?" Kaoru said unsurely. "Wasn't that supposed to be under construction?"

"Sorry, Kaoru, we should be off," the shadowed boy turned, being joined by a Leomon, and then the pair disappeared along with the field. When Kaoru returned, his family was gone.

**Episode Eight: 17 Today! Happy Birthday David! The Searing Flames of Firamon!**

"We've a Five-Man band!" Deep gasped, sitting forward on David's sofa and clenching his fists.

"Excuse me?" Zhane turned from his spot beside the Christmas tree, up until tomorrow, the sixth—David's birthday.

"There are five of us," Deep said. "And we've all different… Let's see, Deep, hero; Chase, lancer; Stuck-up bitch, Chick; Zhane, Big guy and David, Smart guy! It's perfect,"

"I think you've gotten that a little skewed," David giggled, turning around some of the parcels he'd received; three from Zhane, one from Chase and Deep and none from Hikari, though that was really to be expected as they were currently complete strangers and it seemed set to stay that way. "I can't believe I'm turning seventeen tomorrow," he said, shaking his head. "I'm gonna feel so _old_..."

"You won't be old," Deep laughed. "My birthday was just Tuesday. Are you calling me old, hippy?"

"Maybe he is," Chase teased, reaching and grabbing a bit of Deep's shoulder-length hair. "And who're you calling Hippy?" they play-wrestled for a while, tugging and laughing, while Hikari looked on, seemingly unimpressed. She was so out of her element it was scary. She hadn't even brought her phone.

"Hey, Zhane," David said, fingering some DigiMemories in his hand. "How many of these things do you have, anyway?"

"Oh, I… Not many at all," Zhane sighed, reaching into his pocket and retrieving a handful of chips. "I keep forgetting to bring memory cards with me…"

"Well, I think both you and Hikari need more," David said, making Hikari jump at the use of her name. "With what you'll be doing, what we'll all be doing, DMs are essential."

"They allow for Digivolution, you can trade them for items, the whole dealio," Deep said calmly, starting on a tangent of what you could buy. No-one was really listening to him, though whenever Hikari seemed to tune in, it was gibberish.

_I need more DigiMemories…_? Hikari thought desperately. _What am I supposed to do, in this strange place?_

The next day, David received many phone calls wishing him a happy birthday, including a sleepy one from his little sister. He was on high spirits as he took the bus to school, singing joyously along to the music on his iPod. The weird looks he got, he deflected with a smile, as the feeling inside of him was too good to let go of.

However, arriving at the grim, metallic building he'd come to know after three months, he felt a powerful sucking feeling on his stomach. He knew that he couldn't have skipped college, he knew that it would've been pointless, but David thought of Zhane, looking after his friends, laughing with them. Zhane's education had been put off for a while since Zhane was supposedly half-crippled from his injuries, though knowing Zhane, the delinquent he could be, he might not go back at all.

"Hey," David said, to a boy he hardly knew but his sister commonly talked about. Of course, she'd never met him, but that girl was as complicated as a Rubik's cube without a manual. The boy nodded before hurrying on, barely stopping to acknowledge him. "A nice start to a better day," he mumbled darkly hunching his shoulders and putting his hands in his pockets, walking on.

His tutor wished him a happy birthday when she learnt, but the rest of the day seemed set to go on completely normally. Of course, though, nothing was as it seemed.

"Beep, beep… beep, beep, _beep_!" David's phone cried frantically.

"David, is that your phone?" His tutor asked sharply, on the ball like always. David pondered shaking his head for a second, but then he nodded.

"I'm sorry" he said. "But this is important… Really, it is. May I take it? It won't be five seconds—"

"Sorry, Dave, no dice," she said, shaking her head. It wasn't that that made David shake. He knew what was going on without Coronamon's input. A digital field was forming around them. All of David's classmates, they'd all die. And there wasn't anything he could do. The field was already changing, the ceiling above them slowly turning to dark sky. "What's going on…?" Julie began, before letting out a soft, anguished cry, falling to her knees.

"It's Devimon," Coronamon informed, giving up on secrecy. "I think he's torturing your… friends… here. I don't have anything else on it, but it's purely psychological." The room had now completely turned to mountainous ruin, dark, bleak and unforgiving. Standing, like the unholy messenger of everything David had been trying to prevent. This was hell for him.

"Hello… Is this pain something that you—child—cannot take? Just run! I'll give you a… _Running start_!" the creature cried malevolently.

"I can't take this. It throws me into despair, it breaks my heart. But if that's the case, I rip into you with claws of steel and tear you apart! Scream, you monster, and die," David replied calmly. He reached his hand out to Coronamon, standing on his desk-neighbour's desk and gave the creature a defiant glare.

"You insolent son of a bitch," Devimon hissed. He lifted a rock from nearby and tossed it towards him, and as it flew, caught glimpses of his opponent's face. It was resilient. The hunter reached for a shiny, golden sword hilt and lifted it high above his head, allowing a jet of condensed water shoot from the tip. He slashed at the boulder and it split in half, bouncing down around his classmates. David didn't allow himself to turn and check on them. It wasn't really worth it.

"This'll be a breeze," he joked icily, to infuriate the black devil evil more, before spinning his hand above his head and creating a large hurricane, which twirled around them, gaining speed, with the students, David, Coronamon and Devimon right in the eye…

X x x

"It was in Primary school, that we met," Zhane said, sitting on his table, cheerfully regaling the guests that he'd never wanted.

"What's Primary?" Deep asked. "Is it like Elementary, or…?"

"Primary School in England is basically your Elementary, yeah," Zhane replied coolly. "There's some Pre and Middle involved, but mostly Elementary. Anyway, I was a small-time bully. You know the type, a kid that needed to learn that people weren't punching bags, words were blades. You get the picture. I wasn't the best guy to David, I heard he'd dropped out of secondary—Middle School, and then when I was picked on relentlessly, I dropped out too and—"

"So you just went crying to your parents and said 'they're bullying me'?" Deep asked. Zhane glared at him sharply.

"I didn't respond to it like that," Zhane sighed warningly. "I beat the little shits up, knocked their senses out and beat the ever-loving crap outta them. They deserved it, of course, but after like three incidents of this, my parents and my teachers decided that I should have some form of one-to-one teaching away from school. My parents agreed 'Cuz they'd already seen me crying my eyes out after the fights. It was an ordeal, for sure."

"That must've been hard," Hikari said, imagining what it would've been like if she'd been bullied when she went to school.

"It was, Miss," Zhane said awkwardly, still reeling from sharing a flat with a fourteen-year-old. "So, I've done my share-share, what about you lot? How'd you meet the birthday boy, what was your life's shittiest moment, you know, the usual?"

"Oh, my life's always been far from perfect," Chase said quietly. "It's hard to explain. David and I are old acquaintances, though,"

"'Acquaintances'! Un-swallow the dictionary, Chase," Deep teased, though he didn't sound too cheerful. Zhane guessed that it was his way of dodging the question, though he knew that Deep didn't really know him well.

"What about you, Hikari, will you come through with a tear-filled story?" Zhane asked, almost hopefully. Hikari didn't answer straight away, struggling with herself. She wasn't telling them about her parents. Not even Chase knew about that. Not many people outside the family did. She opted for the simple, gentle option of saying when she'd met David. That was easy enough; New Year's.

"Watashi wa—Oh, um, I… I mean…" Hikari felt herself blush. Her thoughts had been so concentrated that she'd forgotten to speak in English. She didn't do that often, though slipping into Japanese had been a nervous habit for a while now. "I met David New Year's. He seems nice,"

"See? She's stuck-up! If you don't want to say, or you don't have a story, just say you don't," Deep said, sticking out his chin and sighing.

"You're one to talk," Chase said coldly, flicking him in the head. "Be nice to Hikari, Deep, you bitter old husk,"

"Better than a tree-hugging bastard," Deep replied, grinning weakly. Zhane sighed in despair, knowing that this was going nowhere and going to the TV. He turned it on, before gasping at the channel. Photos of a red-haired man flashed on, with a voiceover of a man with a Scottish accent. It was the news.

"I think David changed it," Zhane said miserably. "I hate the news with a bloody passion."

"Wait, leave it on," Deep said, surprisingly attentive. "I heard about this guy. He's just amazing in the technology and medicine areas. Is this about the Nobel Prize he got?"

"Look at you getting all intellectual," Chase laughed, ruffling the teal hair of his friend. "I'm surprised,"

"Oh, yeah, he's the best. His name's Kyle and he's a wizard at this stuff, truly he is. I'm a big follower of this, Eb—" he stopped. He swallowed. "A… a friend, um, showed him to me. He means a lot,"

"Oh, Deep, I'm sorry," Chase said, but Deep violently shrugged him off.

"I don't need it, Chase. You know that I hate it when you pity me. I've got a good life. I've got nothing to be sorry for," Deep nodded apologetically, even so.

"Wait, did the news just say what I thought it did?" Zhane ran back the programme, clicking play as the final image faded out.

"The young man, Kyle Roberts, achieved this momentous award by discovering an antibody that could prospectively cure disease. However, the scope of this has yet to be confirmed, as the five people cured of cancer have been cancer-free for less than six months," the woman on the TV droned.

"That's preposterous," Hikari said, watching the blonde woman toss her head and continue on about other winners. "No-one could manage something like that."

"Well, they don't give Nobel babies to just anyone, Bitch-Chan," Deep said, smiling. Hikari and Deep started to have a staring contest, as if jointly trying to prove to Chase that they could be friendly. Zhane played referee while Chase grabbed his D-Tracer and noted a field. He clicked onto the map and winced. He knew that David would take care of it. He just wished he didn't have to.

X x x

David glared at Devimon. "Coronamon. Let's do that thing again, after so long," Coronamon grinned.

"Yeah! It _is_ your birthday!" David smirked in an inhuman way in reply. He sent a stream of ten SD Memory Cards into the D-Spacer he was holding; "DigiMemories. Shine like the Sun's Great Wheel!"

he announced, emulating the heroes from the TV shows. The Tornado set alight suddenly.

"Coronamon! Battle Digivolve to…!" Coronamon burst into flames, being replaced by a four-legged, winged lion. "_Firamon!_"

The excess flames from Digivolution jetted towards Devimon, catching him off-guard. He fell back, crying out in sudden pain.

"You… pathetic bastard," Devimon hissed, struggling up. "I'll kill you!" he raised his hand, controlling the other student's fear, and dragging it towards him. David glanced at the person beside him, who was contorting in pain. It must've been ripping them apart, having something so quintessentially important to their psyche ripped away. David turned, silently, to Firamon.

"This is getting old," he said, feeling tranquil fury rip apart his soul. "Finish it."

"Right," and then Firamon launched himself towards the desperate creature digging in his claws and then tearing and tearing. The pieces of Devimon that flew off turned into Data, though digital ribs could be seen through the gruesome holes in his chest, and his inhuman screams filled the air. David didn't turn away. He didn't as much as flinch. When there was no Devimon left, David sighed, a long, drawn out and painful sigh.

"D-David?" the person beside him muttered, coming back to sense. David glanced at him, grabbing his Water-jet blade. He wouldn't let himself cry. This had to be done, whether he liked it or not.

"I'm sorry," he said. "Really. But the person you called for, you'll never see again." And then he sliced the boy in half. Data leaked from the wound, blood dripped down from his lower half. David slashed through the others. Thirteen innocent people, plus his tutor. And they were all being destroyed. David didn't slow as he killed one after the other, before stopping in front of his tutor. She was looking up hazily at him.

"What have you done, David?" she asked. "Is—is this real?"

"I'm sorry." David repeated. "But it is."

_Slice_

He swept around, leaving all of the chaos behind him as he closed the field. It would be like they just disappeared, but that was nothing new. Not anymore.

David strode briskly up to reception, gazing up at the college logo and sighing wistfully. He turned, thoughtfully, marching off towards the library, and leaning against the wall, he pulled out his D-Spacer, hacking into the records and making it appear as though he'd been absent all week. Without another word, David pushed himself free of the wall and sauntered off out of the college grounds forever more.

"Yes, I promise I'm fine," David said to his friend. "I'm glad your Christmas went well. Happy Birthday, too! I can't believe we were born on the same day either…" he went on in the same fashion, prattling on and on. Coronamon wondered if it was healthy to not grieve. He wasn't sure that it was something worth asking. "College? Oh, I might do OU… Because I'm not going there anymore. No, I wasn't kicked out. I didn't quit either."

"David…" Coronamon cut across suddenly. "Just say that you quit,"

"No," David said indignantly, opening the front door and kicking off his shoes. He carefully shut that door and opened the inner door, immediately greeted by a "Hey," from his little sister.

"How was college?" she asked. She was typing absent-mindedly on her computer, barely noticing his presence. "Happy Birthday,"

"Thanks. And college was… It was…" David sincerely hoped that the case wouldn't be in the papers. "I… Never mind. Look, sis, where's Mom?"

"She and Mark went up Tesco," she said, chuckling slightly, perhaps at the mere thought of Tesco. "Didn't get ya a cake, but is that any surprise?"

"I'll be upstairs okay?" he asked anxiously. Jayne glanced up from her typing, eyeing him closely.

"Why?"

"Look, do I need to answer to you?" David asked, glaring and flouncing up the stairs. He created a mini field and went to Zhane's, stepping right out into his living room. Some kind of contest was going on; Hikari and Deep both had their hands on a piece of paper with two sets of tally on it, Hikari was looking glum, but Deep had his Game Face on. Zhane had been refereeing, but upon David's appearance toppled off of the table.

"Dude! A little class?" he cried. Hikari, Chase and Deep smiled at him as he sat down, with Deep starting to talk a mile a minute, Chase smiling in apology and Hikari giving a weak, warm smile herself.

"I had to kill everyone in my class at college today," David said quietly. "I'm sorry for coming out with that so soon, but I had to say it."

"Oh, man, I'm sorry," Zhane said, but David brushed away his hand.

"Don't," he said. "But now I'm not going to college anymore. That means we have every single day free. If needs be, I'll keep up a pretence of going to college for my family and come here instead. We've got to toughen up,"

"Agreed," everyone else said, almost in unison, though Deep was a little slow. He blushed, but he smiled even so.

"So what's our first plan of action, O mighty leader?"

"Let's get Hikari and Zhane trained up a bit first. Then we can focus on the prophesy and stopping it." David said, nodding before turning away.

**Next Time: **Since David's suffered that recent loss, I'm not gonna let him grieve over me! I'm gonna make sure that I become the best hunter ever and prove my worth! However, when a cross-continent field in the form of an old, undefeated one of Hikari's traps me and the latter, we have to team up to defeat a whole army of Togemon! Can Kumamon and Salamon take the heat? Find out next time in "The high-riding hunter of Birmingham! Zhane jumps into action!" See, it says my name not Hikari's!


	9. Book 1: Draft: Episode 09

"My parties are world-famous," said Zhane, acting drunk without a single drop of liquor. He'd decided to throw a small party for the hunters that he'd taken on. After David's birthday, everyone had become subdued, quiet and unresponsive. Well, Deep and Chase conversed, Chase and Hikari conversed, but polite words were all Zhane got. And he'd taken them on, as well. Zhane had been over the moon at the idea of an alcohol party for the five of them, but Deep and Chase had gently told him that Hikari was only fourteen, (Zhane already knew this, and it really freaked him out) and that he wouldn't be able to buy liquor at his age anyway. Zhane abandoned the idea and plumped for just a small party for everyone to get to know each other better.

"I can't believe it, a proper party," Deep said sarcastically. "And to think, I left my best frock at home."

"Don't be like that, Deep," Chase said, his brow furrowing in annoyance. Deep stuck his tongue out in response.

"I can be like whatever I like," he said childishly. "Besides, I'm still reeling from having to share a flat with that girlfriend of yours. She's so stuck-up. I know I don't answer right all the time, and I'm stand-offish. I have my reasons. Your girl turns her nose up at every comment I make,"

"Deep, she's not my girlfriend. And I think Hikari has her reasons too. She's not born English, either, so maybe it's a language barrier," Chase wasn't being truthful; Hikari's English was mostly flawless, but it irked him, the way Deep went on.

"Still, she's cootie-ing up the place," Deep said. "Sisterless male complains of sharing household with stuck-up bitch woman. It'll be in the papers, you watch."

"Well, you're mostly being cool with Hikari. I preferred living in The Valley, though, surrounded by nature. That's where I've always been y happiest. You know that," Chase nodded at Deep and Deep nodded in return, though Zhane, who'd been dashing around setting drinks; mountain water for Chase, Coca Cola for Deep and Chase, lemonade for him and Apple Juice for Hikari, cut in quickly.

"We know that," he said. "We also know _that _that's illegal. Sorry nature boy," Hikari had been standing solitarily by the door to the hall, hidden from their views and eavesdropping. She wasn't purposely doing so, but she hadn't wanted to draw attention to herself by walking in. Besides, they were talking about her. She had the right to know what they were saying. But at that point, she walked in, feet tripping beneath her as she walked self-consciously.

"Hikari," David said in surprise.

"I heard what you were saying," Hikari said quietly, keeping her voice low and even. "I much preferred living at my uncle's; the only teenager. I don't like living her with so many older men,"

"Feel self-conscious, Kari? Don't you worry, we're not pervy at all," Deep said, leering comically, but Hikari glared Deep into silence.

"When will the party start?" she asked, looking away from Deep.

"Now! Now's the party," Zhane said proudly. "It's not anything big. I wish it were, but my mates are all here. How sad is that! Though, David seems to have had a cool experience over Christmas! Making friends with that bastard,"

"I didn't make friends with him. You should know," David corrected. "And I'm not sure everyone here knows who you're talking about. He means Kaoru Arakawa," Deep wolf whistled and muttered something to Chase about Moon, while Hikari nodded. She didn't understand the nickname, but maybe everyone in England was a bit skewed in the head. Either way, most of them were nice. Even Deep, in his own way.

"Unfortunately, having guests his the only way to make Zhane realise how lucky he is to have this place," David sighed deeply in reply.

"I do realise! I plenty realise," Zhane said nonsensically.

"You definitely realise the merits of female company," Kumamon snorted. "Throwing a party for the girl, I ask you! Just confess your love,"

"What the—Kumamon your berk! Don't say that kind of thing! It is awful for a man to toy with a lady's heart!" Zhane hit his D-Spacer and lifted his nose into the air. "Take no notice, Hikari." Hikari smiled weakly, nodding. And so the party went on in the same fashion; everyone chatting, laughing and enjoying the seconds they had. It was a lovely feeling. The kind that hunters like them didn't get often, and the kind that the looming future threatened to take away.

**Episode Nine: The High-Riding Hunter of Birmingham! Zhane Jumps into Action!**

The party disbanded shortly after an hour and a half had passed, with David going home and Hikari going to her room to relax. Chase was left to his own devices, while Deep went to scan for any fountains nearby and Zhane cleared up.

He was lounging sleepily against the sofa that he and Deep often shared, enjoying not having the muscle-head squashing him, when his D-Spacer chimed. It was long, clear and loud, shocking Chase out of the hazy half-consciousness he'd fallen into. He swung up, lifting the Spacer to his ear. Apparently, it was Silent.

"Hey Chase," Silent's low grow said casually. "Moon was badgering me to check up on you, since you scarpered so soon after Christmas… you should know by now what girlfriends are like." Chase heard a few yells in the background. They sounded annoyed and female. "Well, anyway. I had an excuse, so I called."

"An excuse?" Chase raised an eyebrow.

"You know what I mean, Chase! Don't get all offended on me too," Silent cried, confirming Chase's suspicions that Silent's girlfriend comments had upset Moon.

"I'm not offended," he said truthfully. "I was just wondering what this amazing excuse of yours is,"

"Oh…" Silent replied, surprised. "You're really not a big girl anymore, huh, Chase? What? No, Moon, that's a compliment! Any who, my excuse is that Rosebud field from a while back. You know its status?"

"That field?" Chase asked; a little surprised at the studious question. "Well, it 'locked' itself. I can't get in. I think it'll be fine as long as it stays that way…"

"Hate to say this, Brosef, but that field's opened. Moon was doing an expansive search, to make sure your territory hadn't sprung up with too many, you know? And she found this really big, long-lasting one. The Rosebud field. Code Green; open and all,"

"Ah… You're serious?"

"'Fraid so."

"Damn… I didn't even think about it. I can't believe this, I'm so far away. And don't even think of offering to go clear it, this is my duty. I'll get back there early February to do it, okay? Don't panic," Chase said reassuringly, reassuring himself while he was at it.

"Alright," Silent said, calmed. "You're a mate, Chase. Gotta go, bye!" Chase said bye in return, shortly after the phone had clicked off. He seemed completely out of sync; unable to function correctly and unable to find the right response.

"Rosebud Field…?" whispered Hikari, having heard the chimes and wondering what was going on. She frowned at Chase's face; an intricate design of worry and confusion. She vowed to help him, knowing that he was worried for her sake as well as everyone else's. He was really _nice_, Chase.

"Look after the place, Chase," Zhane's interrupted her thoughts. "Look after Hikari, I'm going out! See ya," he was going so fast and Chase was so muddled that he didn't get the right response out until Zhane was gone. Hikari frowned, throwing open the door and running after him.

"Tracer!" she cried, his long legs outclassing her short ones easily. "Wait up!"

"Eh? Hikari? What're you doing following me?" Zhane asked, slowing, but not much. Hikari shrugged, because she wasn't really sure. Just curios. "Well, I found a cross-continent field. I wanted to sort it myself, you know, prove that our training sessions have been working. You can come too, if you'd like, prove yourself as well." Hikari's mind reeled. She didn't know what to say. She didn't want to go on such a reckless trip, but would it relax Chase's conscious? That she could look after herself?

"I don't know…"

"Come on, Hikari. You can ride shotgun on my bike," Zhane had rescued his bike and begged (forsaking any Christmas presents) to have it fixed. His pleas had worked, and now he had a good, sturdy bike again. He wasn't going anywhere near the motorway, though, where he'd had his near-crippling accident. David was right; he really was lucky.

"Well… I guess that I can't turn down such a gracious offer," Hikari said quietly, grabbing Zhane's arm to slow him. Zhane found her a spare helmet and tossed it to her, putting on his, and then Hikari felt her heart dance in her chest as they both rode off towards town.

X x x

Takashi Eliot was all Kaoru could think about. He was paying him constant visits, being fairly annoying, mostly to check that he wasn't dead. Kaoru found that preferable, though, to this. Often had he been used to not eating for a while before crashing, and eating an amazing amount, before going off food again and having a period of not eating, but never had his hunger consumed his being this way before. Often, had he not slept for days, surviving barely and falling asleep for near enough twenty-four hours, but never had he been so tired that all he wanted to do was fall onto the pavement and sleep forever. He was penniless, so couldn't sleep in a hotel, and was too prideful to sleep on the floor like a hobo.

"You're gonna die if you keep up this way, Kaoru," Tsukaimon warned. "I can feel myself getting weaker, and you know it too. You've gotta take care of yourself."

"Kaoru-Kun!" just the person Kaoru didn't want to see, and right on cue as well. Kaoru turned, darkly, to see the familiar face running towards him. He looked as pompous and rich as ever.

"Don't call me that," Kaoru said bluntly. "What do you want, Eliot?"

"If you're going to talk to me like that, then I'll just go. Your partner was worried about you," Eliot snapped. Kaoru had quickly learnt that this guy had a short temper.

"No, don't!" Tsukaimon cried. Kaoru's throbbing head caught on. Tsukaimon had betrayed him to this idiot. "Please, Eliot!"

"Well…" Eliot glanced at Kaoru, frowning. "I guess. Kaoru-Kun, I'm willing to offer you help. Money, food, you name it. I have tons of cash that my parents put in my account… A while ago,"

"I decline," Kaoru said, barely hearing him out. Kaoru turned, though even he could see that his pride was going to kill him. He'd never been quite skeletal; his limbs were always a bit too thin, but there was some fat clinging to him that made him look ill, but not severely anorexic. Now he looked just that. Not to mention the haze his mind was in. He was in danger of collapsing.

"Kaoru-Kun?" Eliot asked smugly, clearly knowing he had the upper hand and loving it. "Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm damn sure," Kaoru said, but through gritted teeth. His vision was blurring.

"Please, Kaoru," Tsukaimon begged. "If you collapse, you'll be taken to hospital. They'll find out who you are. Your parents will find you!"

"I…" Kaoru searched the blur of grey that was the concrete for an answer. He was Arakawa Kaoru, so he had to answer no; his reputation would be in tatters if he agreed, and yet that reputation would be useless if he was dead.

"Please?" Tsukaimon pleaded a second time. Kaoru closed his eyes. Yes, no, he didn't know. He sighed…

X x x

"This is it," Zhane said, teeming with excitement as he walked up to the church. It seemed like an ordinary place. Hikari looked it up and down unsurely, nodding. "Let's go in." Hikari followed Zhane's lead, but her feet found themselves walking a path she'd already seen. Déjà vu.

"This is…! Zhane, we've gotta _go_!" Hikari cried. It was the only English sentence she could force from her mouth before hysterics got to her. It didn't matter anyway; a force of many large, unwieldy green cacti had already surrounded them. Hikari knew that Apemon had struggled against one of these. Just one.

"We can't…" she said legibly, feeling a sob rise in her throat.

"Why not?" Zhane asked stubbornly. "Me and Kumamon are the best there are. You ask for good newbies, and you immediately think of us, no questions asked. We can take these guys on, right, Kumamon?"

"Yeah… No," Kumamon snarked. "I can't battle digivolve; DigiMemory shortage. These are Champions," he nodded at one.

"Needle Spray!" it cried, and its voice was echoed by others. Hikari threw herself to the moss-encrusted ground, shaking in horror. She lifted her teary face up, and saw that Zhane had actually dodged too, and was lying, confused and looking a little discouraged, on the ground.

"Well, don't know about you," Salamon said darkly. "But I can do this. I'm better than you, Kumamon; must be. My teacher's Champion," she said the word reverently and smiled in a deeply irritating way. It even irritated Hikari, her partner, but Hikari tried not to focus on it. Her eyes were fixed on the small circle of sharp needles that surrounded them.

"You can't do this alone," Kumamon said in annoyance. "Don't be stupid."

"I can and I will. Watch me, and try to emulate me," Salamon growled. She sprang from Hikari's side, ignoring Hikari's frantic calls. "Puppy Howling!" her weak attack knocked a single Togemon backwards. It's small, circular mouth seemed mocking as it sent another spray of needles Salamon's way. The cream puppy froze, horrified, so Kumamon jumped in, yelling;

"Karate Fist!" His fist knocked the needles from side on and they rolled away. "Are you okay?"  
>"I'm alright," Salamon muttered sharply. Kumamon laughed gently, but didn't say anything contradictory.<p>

"They're getting on," Zhane said quietly, sinking to his knees beside Hikari. His face was that of simple fear. "But Kumamon's right; this is pointless…"

"It's not," Hikari said surprisingly. "We just have to keep trying. Maybe, together, we can do this."

"I agree," Salamon said, grinning and showing all of her white, pointy teeth. "And if I'm willing to work with these douches, surely, we can pull this off."

"Watch who you're calling 'douche,'" Kumamon threatened, smiling before springing up. "Karate Fist!" he cried again and again, slamming his fist into a Togemon repeatedly. It fell back after a good deal of punches, evaporating into data, but Kumamon fell onto his stomach as it died; his fist was all over in needles. Salamon wasn't faring much better; her cries seemed only to enrage the creatures and made them spray more needles, tiring them out, but all the running she had to do away from them tired her out too. She defeated a second one, but the other six loomed frighteningly above them.

"I… I… The Great Salamon… Cannot… Continue," she cried, falling over in exhaustion.

"Salamon! No," Hikari screamed, as the Togemon used its attack at her. Kumamon was still writhing in pain. So this was it; Hikari's death. She closed her eyes in fear, but another, more welcoming voice cut through the tense silence.

"Mega Bone Stick!" the needles were smashed, and then the tan ape digimon leapt against the cacti, tearing it apart with nimble fingers.

"Hikari, Zhane!" Chase cried, coming into view. Behind him, David, Deep, Sorcerermon and Firamon could be seen. Sorcerermon and Firamon quickly got to work helping Apemon, making quick, light work of the creatures.

"You idiots," David sighed. "I'm so glad you guys are alright." He saw Hikari and Zhane's bewildered faces and sighed. "Okay, explanation time. Me, Deep and Chase used to be a hunting team called the Guardians of Nature, but we disbanded largely due to locale difference and the rise of the Hunting Group, San Chikara's fame."

"What about Coronamon?" Zhane asked carefully, crawling over to Kumamon and grabbing his uninjured fist and pulling him to his backside.

"Oh, I got a D-Proxy A," David answered nonchalantly while Zhane tugged the needled from Kumamon's knuckle. "They allow Digimon to stay at levels above Fresh, In-training and Rookie. The A allows for Champion, the B for Ultimate, and there are rumours that there's a C for Megas, but that's just a rumour."

David then turned, seeing Zhane's face. Sorcerermon was flashily defeating his Togemon, taking his time and flipping his staff as much as possible. Firamon had set his on fire, and data was stripping off of it like ashes flew away from a real world fire. Apemon was using his usual tear tactics. He smiled.

"Our Digimon are old friends," he said softly. "They love to show off when they're together. They're quite the trio. We called them the Three Musketeers… But that's another story." He turned, as the final two disintegrated and a good deal of memories appeared in David's hand. He mouthed something to Deep and Chase, and the pair nodded.

"Guys, these are mostly yours," Deep said, taking three from the pile. "You tried really hard. Your rookie levels did well."

"We don't deserve this," Zhane said weakly.

"You do," Chase said, though he looked impatient. Deep raised an eyebrow at him and he sighed. "Well, it's dangerous to stick around. Especially with these two so low. Those digimon were Slave Drives." Deep nodded, and the five of them left; Hikari, Deep, Chase and David using the field to go to Zhane's, and Zhane leaving through the church to drive home.

"Yeah, we went there," Chase said later, trying to finish a call to Silent and Moon. "I'm glad everything worked out; that could've gotten nasty. Anyway, I'm glad you and Moon made up, too, Silent."

"You're not the only one," Silent replied happily. Chase smiled as he listened to his friend ramble on, but his attention piqued as David walked in, a look of excitement on his pale face.

"Guys!" he cried, assembling everyone near-instantly.

"I better go," Chase sighed. "Nice talking with you, Silent."

"You too, Ginge," said Silent, cutting the call. Chase lowered his D-Spacer, looking at the brunette curiously.

"I've detected a large-scale field in Scotland. There's no hunter there, so we should go take care of it! That's right guys; it's our first fieldtrip! A real mission," he started burbling happily and everyone sighed. "Hey, don't worry," he said. "The field can't be too bad…"

X x x

"I can't believe after all that he refused my offer," Eliot fumed. "And even after _that_, I found the ungrateful bastard passed out. He's lucky I found him and not the police."

"Well, you are kind of stalking him," sniggered Eliot's partner.

"I'm not stalking him," Eliot said warningly. "He's just the Lone Demon of Kyoto. He's famous. We need someone like him at the Hunter's Gathering soon, and as the Hunter of Tokyo it's my job to make sure he doesn't go killing himself or something like that. Got it?"

"Don't talk to the Amazing Leomon like that, Eliot! You know how I feel about your disrespect to one of my grace," Leomon started.

"Oh, shut it," Eliot sighed. "I'm not in the mood to hear you going on today," he walked out of the bedroom of his temporary lodgings to the living room to check on his surprise guest, and saw that he was still asleep. The blanket he'd gotten for him was wrapped tightly still, and Kaoru looked quite comfortable on the couch. He smiled despite himself, knowing that Kaoru would react hilariously when he woke up. It was just a matter of time. Time, Eliot thought, which they were rapidly running out of.

**Next Time: **It's Chase here. Scotland's as breathtaking as is to be expected, but the Digital Field's Master Drive Digimon is stubbornly not coming out! Deep gets the day he's needed for a while and meets that professor guy he'd obsessed about, but another field suddenly springs up! And what's worse, while we're freaking out, a new player comes on the scene! How will we make it through this? Find out next time; ""


	10. Book 1: Draft: Episode 10

"Oh, Deep, I'm gonna miss you," Chase said softly. "I know you're not going for long, but you're a close friend. Just trust that I'll be fine with David, Zhane and Hikari."

"I believe in you, man," Deep said, smiling. "Don't worry; it's just a quick check. I can't be there too long or Alison will latch onto me with her powers. Don't know how they work, but I know they're trouble. And if they're automatic, may God help me," Hikari was looking at Deep with a curious air. She wasn't sure who this Alison was, but surely she wasn't all as bad as everyone made out, right? Hikari wanted to ask, since it seemed quite disloyal of them, but what if her comment was really out of place with them? She didn't even want to think about fitting in right now.

"Good luck," she settled with.

"Thanks Miss Priss," Deep said. "You've grown on me, kiddo, even if you are a stuck-up bitch. So, how do you say 'Good luck' in Japanese, eh?"

"Kōun," Hikari said in surprise. "It's just one word."

"You're good at English and Japanese," Zhane said unnecessarily. "But we shouldn't be focussing on our lady companion right now. Really, we shouldn't spend too long on Deep either. He's going home, not to war, and we've got this field to sort out."

"He's right… Can you handle it on your own?" Deep asked anxiously, clasping his hands together.

"It's no trouble," David said, slapping Deep's back. "Look out for yourself,"

"I'm glad," Deep said weakly. "But still, it'll be no trouble to me if you call… I'll be right over…"

"Just go!" Zhane urged, and so Deep walked away into the data, evaporating slowly into the data. The high, icy surroundings of David, Zhane, Chase and Hikari deleted into the busy Train Station, and the four were left, momentarily, in silence. "Chase, can't we Digital Field it to Scotland? Come on, please?" Zhane begged suddenly, gripping to Chase's sleeve.

"No," Chase said irritably, freeing his arm. "None of us have ever been to Scotland before and it's beautiful. Deep's loaded, so he's paying, so we might as well make the most of his gracious offer and take the train. We'll be able to see lots of beautiful things on the way, anyway."

"But that's long… I want to get there, do it, and then come home again. Is that too much to ask?" Zhane reasoned hopefully, but his only replies were laughs in his face.

"Zhane, you should hear yourself! You're just moaning like an old man about going somewhere new and having wonderful, beautiful new experiences! You need to get out more, my friend," David was practically choking on his laughter, which was loud and obnoxious. Zhane had gotten word from his little sister that it was like a Hyena's.

"There's our train!" Chase cried suddenly, his deep tanned hands locking onto the wrists of Hikari and Zhane. He trusted David to run there himself.

"What do you mean, 'Our train'? We've been here less than five minutes," Zhane grumbled as he tripped over his feet as Chase surged to a hault, breathing heavily, beside the train.

"I… I booked the tickets… In… in, uh… In advance," Chase gasped. "They're for… this one," he held up four glistening tickets and handed them in, granting them admission to the long transport vehicle.

"It's… Small," Hikari said in bewilderment, collapsing beside Chase on the train. Chase was beside the window backwards, Hikari beside him whereas David sat opposite Chase and Zhane opposite Hikari.

"So, David, dish," Zhane said, donning Deep's smirk. Chase began to smile himself, thinking how Deep had been an influence on Zhane. He hoped that this was in a positive way, but who knew? "Who was your first boyfriend?"

"What the hell?" David cried in indignation, hitting Zhane very hard between the shoulder blades. "Kidding! I remember your ex-girlfriend!" He twitched in pain, wincing.

"Chase…" Hikari said softly; Zhane's comment had sparked inspiration for her own. "Have you ever had a girlfriend?" she felt herself blushing as she asked it. She didn't want to know for her benefit, or to chide him if not. She was just honestly curios, but she could see the subject made him uncomfortable.

"Once," he said, though his usually warm, clear voice was pained. Hikari felt her face flush again. She felt really embarrassed; what if it was a tough question for him? She wouldn't like to be asked about her parents. David, too, from just in front of her was wriggly in his seat uncomfortably.

"How about you, Hikari?" Zhane said, seemingly recovering from his spasms. "Have you ever had a boyfriend?" Hikari's face burned even more, but Chase came, unsurprisingly, to her rescue.

"Zhane! Lay off, will you?" His wonderfully bright eyes were clouded as he leant on the side of the chair, glancing out of the window. David was looking out of the window in melancholy also, and Zhane was looking all around the carriage, pretending to not care less.

Meanwhile, at the group's destination, however, someone else was looking out of the window, feeling the soft breeze blow his shining ginger hair. It was deep red and was blowing away from his deep blue eyes.

"Hm…" he muttered to himself as leant further out.

**Episode Ten: The Super-Genius Professor of Edinburgh!**

Edinburgh's station was busy. People were flitting around, hugging and chatting. Zhane held his ears irritably, blocking out the buzzing of people's voices as he pushed a pathway through the passengers for his friends.

"How's the field, Chase?" David asked delicately. He looked over the ginger boy's shoulder and looked at the D-Spacer, though it shone menacingly at him.

"Oh man, it's locked itself," Chase said as they broke free of the station. His fingers worked furiously at the touchpad. "Ah, but it should be reopening soon. Good news,"

"It is indeed," David agreed, though he wasn't quite sure what to do until it came time to deal with the field and then get going. David rubbed his hairless chin thoughtfully, enjoying the gentle breeze that ruffled his tumbles of straight, brown hair. "So… I guess we can go around and see the sights. It won't do any harm if we can't do the field until later."

"I thought that's why we had the long-ass train journey?" Zhane asked, receiving sharp glares. "Hey, don't be like that. It was an honest-to-God question, but if you're gonna be like that then fine, fine, so be it!"

"What sights are there in Scotland, though?" Hikari asked unsurely. She was eyeing a library just off of the gift shop.

"How about we split up?" Chase suggested. "Don't get lost! We can capture one another if we really have to via Digital Field," this seemed a reasonable enough idea, so Hikari was off like a shot to the library, though she looked back at little weakly to Chase before she entered, Zhane walked listlessly into the Gift Shop and David sprang on his heels towards the moors. Chase stood alone in the street, unsure of where to go. He looked around, taking in the many faces. His emerald eyes locked onto a familiar face. It was a man, older than chase with a strong, handsome face and a cheerful spring in his step. There was a good deal of lush red hair escaping from his scalp and the blue eyes on his face were glowing with life. It was the scientist from the news! "Hey," Chase called, running over.

"Oh…" the scientist jumped, looking at this stranger a little warily. "Hello,"

"Are you that scientist who invented the miracle cure?" Chase asked, striding along beside him.

"Oh! Yes, I forget that they air those Nobel things everywhere. You're the first that's come running up to me like this, though, right out of the blue," he smiled. "I guess Edinburgh's just used to me," his voice had a definite accent, but it wasn't too pronounced. It had the signs of a traveller in the making.

"I'm Chase," he said, leading the man into a café. "Chases Wolves, actually. Can I treat you to anything, Mr. Scientist?"

"Oh, no, I couldn't," the man insisted. "I thought you'd know my name; I'm Kyle Roberts. How old are you?"

"I'm sixteen," Chase said, surprised at such an odd question.

"Sixteen? Really? Wow, you look older than that. I hope you don't mind my saying, but you have a time-worn face. Anyway, I'm twenty-one and I'm not having a sixteen-year-old buying me lunch! No, but I'll buy you something," Kyle insisted warmly. Chase shook his head politely, walking up to the counter with the man. "I hope my child looks a bit like you. You've got a nice look; you've got the red hair, though yours is more ginger than mine, and you've got nice eyes."

"Thanks," Chase said in bewilderment. "You're going to have a child?"

"Yeah," Kyle said dreamily. "My fiancée and I were amazed but very happy. I'd only proposed just the week before we learnt about it. Imagine my surprise! The doctor was worried that we'd argue over it, but we're so in love, a child would be just wonderful, don't you think, Chase?"

"Yeah," Chase said, lifting up his coffee and walking to a table. "I wish my life was as cheerful as yours. I think my melody's going off-key, now… And I'm just a bit tired of it," he laughed a soft, hollow laugh; "I think my bandwidth's wearing thin,"

"Bandwidth? Like on a computer? Maybe you should delete some of the older files? I'm one to talk, I'm a bit of a packrat, especially with e-mails, but if I talk to my love I want to remember it…" Kyle smiled that same, dreamy smile. Chase laughed, though Kyle heard that it was a sad laugh.

"That's actually a good idea, Mr. Roberts. I'll think about it. I should be going to find my friends," Chase stood, leaving his untouched coffee. "They'll probably be up to all sorts. Oh, yes! Speaking of my friends, could I possibly have your autograph?"

"My autograph? Of course," Kyle signed his name neatly on a notepad. "I have a fan?"

"Yeah, my friend Deep's gaga over your work. Though it might not be just you… Hey, I'm already late. Let's not go into details," the boy ran off, through the clear glass doors. Kyle looked forlornly after him.

"That poor kid," he said, plodding out of the café. He glanced at the gift shop and saw Chase again, tugging a dark-haired boy from it. They were both smiling, and from the distance Kyle couldn't tell if his smile was faked or not. "Might as well get back," he turned on his heel, though he felt like the boy's words had frozen his soul.

Edinburgh seemed colder, even for late January and the gentle frost that had formed on the grass and roads seemed menacing and threatening, but Kyle blinked these insecurities away fiercely.

"I won't let it get me down," he whispered. He turned the final corner, but even his own, warm, familiar lab seemed dark and hollow. Kyle sighed, wanting to see his fiancée more than ever, but while Kyle was taking a break from his scientific work (break as in not staying up till goodness knows what time and crashing before pushing himself too far again), she was busy with her accounting work. He couldn't go and bother her; worry her.

He slipped in, composing himself, and strode up to his computer, conspicuously left on.

"Stupid," Kyle said to himself, pulling up his small computer chair. A light flashing obnoxiously told Kyle that he'd gotten a message from someone. _Maybe Carly's E-mailed me at work? She shouldn't be doing that… _He was smiling as he opened up his e-mail, but Kyle stopped in his tracks when he saw the sender. It was there in italics. Not really that bad. Maybe it was a success message? No. Why did Kyle just know that this was bad news?

_Red-Breasted Robin: _Project-D is failing. Thought you should know. Hope you're well. So busy. RBR

Pauses. Why couldn't he breathe? Kyle's throat felt strangled as he typed a quick response. All he said was "Sorry". It wasn't enough. It was so kind of—

"I'm a failure!" his thought pattern was shattered. "I can't believe it… I didn't want that damn award! I tried so hard… And I failed… And now innocent people will—Oh, Carly, I'm sorry I failed you… I failed our child… I failed everyone that believed in me…" he sobbed into his hands while a message notification popped up again. His tearful eyes glanced upon it, lowering his shaking hands lowering.

_Red-Breasted Robin: _Don't be, old friend. For people like me, it's only a matter of time.

Kyle felt his heart sinking. Why couldn't he let things like this roll off of his back? He started to sob again, the sound echoing around him, but all of a sudden there was a noise that drowned out even his agonised sobs. Kyle turned, slowly, and saw a gigantic, monstrous creature. It was a watery blob of orange and brown to Kyle's teary eyes, but it was definitely trouble. He wanted to scream at it not to kill him, but he couldn't find the words. _Maybe you don't want to_, his mind jeered. Kyle wouldn't believe that, and yet his feet were rooted to the ground, his eyes glittering with horror.

"D—D—"

"_Hello,"_ a voice echoed, and Kyle turned. A sharply-dressed blind man wearing sunglasses had let himself in. He seemed completely calm.

Kyle gasped. This man; was he the one his contact had mentioned? "Who... Who are you?"

"_Me…?"_ The blind man laughed, a regal sound, full of foreboding. _"I no longer have a name, but your people call me... The Contractor"_

Kyle thought for sure his heart must've stopped "You..."

"_I can get you out of this... This "Digital Field", you know." The Contractor_ said gently.

"How..." he muttered, "Why?"

_The Contractor_ ignored him and continued _"I can make it so that you never entered this space. Just don't try and enter the room that was here again for a while, or stumble into another field. I only offer this once. I'm scarcely even seen twice. Or, you could end your life now. Stay here, let yourself be torn apart"_ he stressed the last words malevolently. Kyle didn't move and simply glared at the man.

"_No?" The Contractor_ said nonchalantly. _"Well then, there is..."_ he turned to face Kyle

"_**Do you wish to make a Contract with me?"**_

It was at that moment that Kyle took notice that the surrounding area was a rocky crag, or, it had been. As soon as the blind man spoke those words, they were standing on the roof of a cathedral temple-like structure, lit by an orange "Sun" and with spires spaced evenly around the circular edge. The Ground shone with a violet light, like a magic circle or ancient seal. It looped with others of similar volume, effectively encompassing the whole floor.

"_You could gain unimaginable power. You could bring gods to their knees and make devils pay you tribute" The Contractor _tempted.

"I don't care about any of that" The Glasgow-born Scotsman replied. "I..."

"_You could fight vile, evil creatures. You could save lives. I will give you the tools and the power to do so. I will also grant you a single wish as, ah, compensation." The Contractor _elaborated smoothly.

"A wish..? Wh-what kind of wish?" Kyle asked his heart racing.

"_Any,"_ was _The Contractor's_ single word response.

"I... I..." Kyle could see images reflected in the light. A boy with brown hair; long, he was wearing goggles on his head and was wreathed in magenta light with a crucifix glowing behind him. Chase was depicted in one such image, launching a thousand arrows into the sky; standing beside a blonde Ape. A blonde kid releasing a device from a brick; a tall long-brown-haired boy and a short redheaded girl linking two devices together. A smug youth sitting in a mechanical throne with a polarised visor sipping red liquid with three teens kneeling before him, and, most hauntingly, a recurring image of a blonde-haired man wearing an asymmetrical silver mask, with a red iris glowing behind the single eye hole. He wore a tattered, grey, regal-looking long coat, his limbs bound by golden coils. He wore a slim line device clamped onto his left forearm. The red gaze of the man seemed to pierce Kyle's soul with its misery.

"I... What is that thing?" Kyle referred to the orange creature behind _The Contractor._

"I am Greymon-L, Human. You... You're very smart. I... I need someone like that. I am Strong, I bet-"

"I need someone like that" Kyle finished confirmingly. "I accept your offer," he announced "I wish... I wish that... I can succeed in my endeavours... I... not for me... for my family! Their Future!"

The Contractor thrust his cane at Kyle, seeming to puncture his chest, withdrawing a light. Kyle's phone levitated towards the light and morphed into a D-Spacer.

"_Sign the seal," The Contractor_ smirked gesturing to the ground. Kyle recoiled from the cane and the light, but regained clarity enough to trace his name into the ground, which then began to glow.

"_What weapon is your best? And what is your preference in power?"_

"I... I would like to manipulate machinery... and... I'm good with a sword, I guess..."

"_Very Well…"_A sword erupted from the ground and rose until its handle was near Kyle's hand.

"_You and Greymon are now... one and the same…" _Said the man, laughing softly. The light increased to blinding levels as their shadows appeared as one chimera as opposed to two separate shapes, _"You should go. Your New Friends are in danger,"_

Kyle nodded as the scenery changed back into his lab, his phone now alerting him to some sort of disturbance by the library. Invigorated by the encounter, Kyle sprang from the spot he was standing in, still feeling his heart thumping in his chest. He turned away from the lab, dashing back the way he'd come only around ten minutes ago. It felt a lot longer to Kyle, but the only thing on his mind was who he'd be working with. Other men his age? He pondered, breathing heavily as he slowed outside the library. It looked normal.

No-one was turning; they were just striding past the Library like there was nothing there. Maybe there wasn't. Kyle stepped self-consciously up to the large building, blinking cautiously before entering. His legs were immediately graced by sharp pricks. Kyle jumped, glancing at his feet. It was like a field of blades, and unlike the place he'd just been in, nothing of the Library was left; nothing that even resembled bookshelves.

"Look…" Greymon growled. "It's a digimon!"

"Eh? When did you get there?" Kyle was still cautious; the creature had tried to kill him, after all, but there was something about the great orange dinosaur that made Kyle want to trust him.

"Shh… You'll alert it to our presence…" Greymon slipped up behind the other creature; large with blonde fur; and caught it in his three-fingered claws. "Grhh!"

"What…?" the voice was calm, cold and relaxed. "Chase…"

"Did that thing say Chase?" Kyle cried suddenly, gingerly running through the blades. And sure enough, the tall, enigmatic figure of Chase appeared from another area of the bladed hell, eyes wide with surprise.

"Kyle Roberts…?" Chase stared with a mix of confusion and horror. "But Edinburgh didn't _have _a hunter…"

"No… I, um," Kyle felt his face turning the colour of his hair. "I… ah…"

"But why would someone like _you _contract…?" Chase whispered, green eyes glittering. "You were so happy… Kyle, you had everything going for you!"

"Yeah… I guess that I did," Kyle didn't want to tell Chase about it. The problem would be gone now anyway, or, at least, it should be. "But that's not important. What're you doing here?"

"That's too long a story for words… I better get the others," Chase sighed. "By the way, that's my partner your Greymon's holding. Can you ask him to let go for me?"

"Why not just ask me? It would be an honour to serve my senior," the gargantuan beside Kyle said, though his voice had a dark tint to it. He released the ape, which shook himself pointedly before springing after his ginger partner.

"You didn't mention that you knew an older hunter back there," Greymon growled softly.

"I didn't know myself," Kyle sighed. "Are all Hunters as young as him?"

"I don't really know, but I'd hazard a guess most aren't older than you," Greymon hissed. "I'm guessing that you're what—Nineteen?" Greymon took Kyle's hateful glare as that he'd gotten it wrong. "I don't understand human ages. It was an uneducated guess." No more words were spoken until Chase returned, muttering furiously with a brown-haired boy about his height. The dark boy from before was also there, raising his eyebrows and grinning, and beside him there was a girl. She was fairly short with long black hair, and in the wake of the four of them were more monsters. The ape from before, a flaming creature, a small bear with a backwards cap and a little cream puppy.

"Hello, Mr. Roberts," the brown-haired boy said graciously. "Chase says you don't really want to talk about your contracting, which is perfectly fine, but since you're here we'll put forward the offer. We four and another young man, Deep Beale, are a group of Hunters, formed after a recent message from _The Contractor_ claiming that the end of the world is nigh. Most of us are staying at Zhane's place, and, well, there's always room for one more,"

"Yeah," the black-haired boy, Zhane, nodded. "Wait… What? We didn't discuss this!" he whispered hurriedly.

"I… I wouldn't like to be an imposition," Kyle said, glancing at Zhane's horrified face. "I'll be fine,"

"Wait! Wait, um, no," Zhane said, turning to Kyle and smiling. "Don't mind me; I'll be glad to have you."

"That's…" Chase said slowly. He glanced at Hikari. Her face was a look of emotionlessness, her features blunted, but Chase didn't know if she was okay with it. He sighed. She'd be fine. "That'll be great, Kyle,"

"Oh… I…" Kyle rubbed the back of his head. "Let's talk about this later, yeah?" he felt odd standing with a bunch of kids, all of whom were graciously offering him a place at one of their houses. He was years older than all of them. The girl couldn't be any older than fourteen. He pondered refusing for a moment, but then looked back to the middle boy's face. That warm smile was surprisingly charismatic.

"We have a Digital Field to deal with," Hikari pointed out quietly. "Roberts-San has the right idea. Can we talk about that later and deal with the field now?"

"Oh! Damn, yes," David said. "By the way, I'm David; he's Zhane and the girl's Hikari. We've got to find the digimon that this field belongs to, and I think we found it a little while ago?"

"Yeah," Zhane nodded proudly. "He's in the centre, but the little bugger's moving pretty fast,"

"Then let's get our skates on," Kumamon said malevolently. The others nodded, running in a general direction. Kyle gasped, clumsily sprinting behind them. Soon, a reptile creature with a large sword on its back came into view. It turned, eyes narrowed, when it heard the hunters coming.

"Lizard Dance!" it hissed, speeding towards them and slashing furiously.

"I'll take this," Chase said, swishing his hand in front of him. Apemon dashed in front of him, taking the blows and batting a large paw at the creature. It was so small that it fell with the force, but jumped nimbly upwards, only to be knocked again off of its feet by Apemon's Mega Bone Throw. It fell again, cringing as if in pain and struggling upwards a second time, only to be knocked off of itself another time. _This _time, however, the bone had wedged itself in the creature's abdomen, and a petrifying scream later, it was no more.

The blade forest disintegrated into little memory cards, which were split between the teenagers. After this was done, they all turned to Kyle, Chase breathing a little heavily.

"So, have you decided?" David asked. Kyle nodded, though he was nibbling his lip carefully.

"I will," he said. "I'll earn my keep, though… But I won't return with you to your home—"

"England," Zhane informed. "But that's fine. I can guess what you'll say. When you're ready, just create a digital field and come on over, alright?"

"Ah… Yes, that's kind," Kyle smiled, and the Hunters parted way with him. He walked them across the road to the station and waved them off, smiling weakly as the train carried them away.

X x x

"That was awesome, Chase," Zhane breathed hours later as he clicked his key into the door. The four of them fell into the flat, relaxing in the dark. Zhane slipped into the living room and clicked on the light, only to get the shock of his life. Someone was there. "…Deep?"

"Guys…" his voice was quiet and solemn, his eyes dark. "We have a problem."

X x x

Kyle stepped gingerly into his lab after waving the hunters off, looking around the once-homely place. It seemed alien to him after that confrontation. His eyes fell upon the computer, but as he stared his phone rang. He'd been expecting Carly, wondering where he was, but it was a man's voice that spoke as Kyle lifted the phone to his ear.

"I don't know what you did, what great lengths you went to," RBR's gentle brood said softly. "But Project D is a… Project D is a success."

**Next Time: **It's Eliot here, but more importantly, it's Ruru-Tan's birthday! The lone demon's been fatigued for quite a little while now, and I doubt he's gonna let me keep looking after him without a fight!

You bet. I'm not letting you take care of me, good joke. I'm the Lone Demon of Kyoto; I work and live alone—hey… Eliot, is that my—_Eliot_! Is that my _sister_?

Nice observation there! Find out why next time in "Lone Demon is Seventeen? The Eliot Takashi Reunion Plan!" Hey, my name's backwards!


	11. Book 1: Draft: Episode 11 Kaoru's BDay

"_I'm so tired of you!_"

"_Go die!"_

"_In this world, no-one will look out for you! Everyone's an enemy,_" The tall woman with dark hair stood erect, even though tears were dribbling down her cheeks and her face was red.

"_Yeah. Everyone. This is your entire damn fault!_" a boy was sitting just away from them, howling, small hands over his face. His knees were by his chin, feet pointed towards each other. But when the child raised his head, the two people arguing had changed positions. A lot. They were hugging each other tightly. There was something clutched between them. It was a child.

"_We need to make it up, now…_" The woman said softly.

"_We will… When the baby's a bit older…_" they were whispering, but he could hear. He could hear well enough. Did they know that he was sitting there, near tears on the staircase? How could they know? He was sitting still on the stairs, unmoving and sobbing silently. They didn't know, but if they did they'd have come, apologized, and hugged him. But he didn't want that yet. He wasn't done being bitter, even though the tears fell and made him feel worse.

The gentlest of words seemed to have the sourest taste, and even though that sourness would tend to his wounds, he still wasn't ready. He _still _wasn't ready. The child stopped crying, slowly, and breathed heavily, muttering a few simple words;

"I wish I weren't here…"

Kaoru sat, gasping for air. The surroundings were entirely unfamiliar…

"What the fuck?"

**Chapter Eleven: Lone Demon is Seventeen? The Eliot Takashi Reunion Plan!**

Kaoru had stood up and was plodding around the house, defensively poking everything and wondering why the door was unlocked, he was completely alone, and why his shoulder was casted in thick bandages. It felt really nice. Kaoru didn't like that. The door behind Kaoru clicked open, causing him to spin around.

Kaoru did not like what he saw.

"Eliot?" Kaoru screeched. Eliot looked up in surprise. He wasn't wearing the usual bowtie and shirt, and the blazer was tied around his waist. Two bags were weighing him down, and he held one in each hand.

"Oh, hi, Kaoru-Kun," Eliot said. "You've slept for so long; I was afraid you were dead." He walked past Kaoru, who was standing near the relatively small kitchen. He dumped the bags on the side, and sorted through them. "I got some new bandages for you… It was kind of awkward putting them on when you were asleep, seriously, but your old ones were seriously dirty…"

"What the…" Kaoru said in disbelief, before all of his rage came together. "What the fuck? Seriously, are you some fucking stalker?"

"Hey… Calm down," Eliot said. "I have—I have a friend…"

"You think I give a fuck? No, give me my fucking D-Arms. I couldn't find it anywhere," Kaoru stormed. He was so angry at this point in time that he didn't give a damn who heard him.

"Kaoru, I know where your D-Arms is, don't worry," he nodded.

"Give it to me now, you _Bastard_!" screamed Kaoru.

"No," Eliot said slowly. "You're my prisoner. You surely can't leave without it. You'd be useless; a major determent. You see… I can't let you leave because there's a hunter's gathering. I need you there. If you get yourself killed, if you don't come, it'll be my fault. It'll be my fault because I'm the soul hunter of the Capital. You're in my _jurisdiction_,"

"What? What makes you think you can hold me prisoner?" Kaoru growled. "I'm not in your anything. Back off,"

"Prisoner…" Eliot smirked. "You are."

"You stuck up little bastard!" Kaoru yelled and then Eliot was thrown into the side. Kaoru had punched him in the face. He fell to the floor spluttering, but Kaoru wasn't interesting in the young man coughing on the tiled floor.

"Eliot?" a girl had walked into the room. She had a milky complexion and wide eyes. They were now focused on Kaoru and burning with rage. "Hey, you! Who do you think you are?" it took her three short strides for her to reach the young man and her hand to reach up to his face. He wasn't fast enough to stop her as her thin hand slapped against his face. It actually hurt.

"Bitch," Kaoru said, his forearm colliding with her collarbone. His arm was only small, extremely bony from all the time he'd spent recently not eating at all, but that meant it was sharp. And for such a small boy, though fairly tall, he was strong. He'd be even stronger if he'd eat properly.

The girl stumbled back, her over-large black trainers slipped on the polished floor and she finally fell, her fluttery lilac layers of skirt floating gently over her legs. She looked a little dazed, and more than a little furious.

"Kaoru," Eliot said, finally rising to his booted feet. They shone dully as he did so, and he smiled at the girl. "I'm so sorry, Shiori, that you had to come in to this," there was an angry red mark on his left cheek, probably burning painfully, but he looked professional as ever, smiling warmly and picking his blazer up from the floor. The royal blue garment hung limply from his hand, and he tugged at his black vest. "I'll take you out and explain things, and then I'll get changed. Alright? Okay! Stay here, Kaoru-Tan, I'll only be a minute,"

"Kaoru-Tan?" he yelled furiously, but Eliot bypassed him without another glance and pulled the girl- Shiori- up in the most gentlemanly way.

"Okay! If you're not above putting things away, could you sort the shopping while we're gone?" Eliot smiled as he saw Kaoru speechlessly taking the jabs. He knew that Kaoru would already be feeling quite bad from actually knocking spindly, brown-haired Shiori from her feet, and that kick-starting another fight may be hazardous.

"There's no way in hell I'm being his _housewife_," Kaoru spat disdainfully. He glared after Eliot for a few moments before going to get the bandages. He walked around afterward, looking for the bathroom. He found it quite early on, but down the hall was Eliot's bedroom, and Kaoru wanted to have something to hold against the smug bedroom.

It was disappointingly regular. On the bedside table there was a picture of a grinning man who Kaoru recognised from some news clippings a few years back and a short, blonde woman with an obviously fake smile. It was perfected; she was used to being photographed. Between them was a short, young boy. His eyes were the same sparkling aqua as Eliot's, but he didn't radiate confidence. He looked shy and awkward. Kaoru felt himself smile in sympathy—he was around six in this picture. Kaoru hadn't liked it when he was six.

The rest of the room followed suit. Kaoru didn't even approach the wardrobe, but there were a ton of schoolbooks stacked on the table and notes—the boy was an avid studier—and there was a picture of Eliot and Shiori. This was the Eliot that Kaoru knew; a smiling, smug youth who had no trouble placing his arm around the smaller girl's waist. Shiori wasn't looking at the camera, instead at Eliot, digging him in the ribs. She, too, was grinning.

Next to this was a picture that Kaoru couldn't compare. It wasn't in a frame, but it was of Eliot and Shiori; a small, weak boy, smiling earnestly and holding hands with a slightly taller girl. Her brown hair was controlled by a hair-band similar to the one Shiori had been wearing that day, and her dress was the same hue. Kaoru quickly replaced the picture and left the room, carefully leaving the door at a similar position. And he stood, for a second, looking at the door. It was glossy white- a colour that didn't suit dark-minded, bold Eliot, but that wasn't really what Kaoru was thinking about. He wasn't really thinking about Shiori either. He was thinking about himself.

_The date's right._ He thought. He'd checked it after he'd awoken, but shook all jitters. No-one would make a big deal of it. _This day's my day. _He searched the door without properly looking at it, seeing something no-one else could. _And yet I don't feel good._

"Kaoru?" a crackly, childish voice suddenly piped up.

"Tsukaimon!" Kaoru was a little shocked that he still had his D-Spacer. He hadn't really thought to check whether or not he had it.

"Kaoru, you've been out a long time. That Eliot guy kept thinking you were awake—from time to time, your arms would move, you'd push yourself up, mutter gibberish and fall back into sleep.

"Understandable gibberish?" Kaoru's heart started to race. What if he'd mentioned his deepest secrets? He held his breath, chest tightening.

"No, gibberish-gibberish. Like blah-blah," Tsukaimon said. "Eliot kept laughing at you," Kaoru felt a race of anger and he suddenly punched the door. It flew back, hit the desk and wobbled back into position. A wave of pain washed over Kaoru's arm, his shoulder throbbing, but he didn't care. He wanted to kill something. He wanted to hear screaming. He wanted to see the colour of blood—someone else's blood.

"Fuck. I hate this feeling…"

"What's that?" Kaoru spun around. The tall, elegant man was standing there, his friend standing behind, erect and annoyed. "Kaoru, we're going out. I've got a suit of mine that would fit you."

"No."

"You have to," Eliot smiled pleasantly, though he strode forwards and whispered venomously into his ear; "_That's right; you have to—Ruru-Tan_," he then turned, so that his back faced his room door. "Okay! Ruru can get changed in the bathroom, I'll have my room, and the lovely Shiori's always ready!" Shiori glowered at Kaoru, though the corners of her very pink lips were starting to quirk upward. Eliot departed through the door, opened the mysterious wardrobe door and returned with a black suit. "See? _Black_!" he smiled as though Kaoru were a child. "I see you have the bandages! Alright, redress your shoulder too,"

"You bastard," Kaoru hissed, though he turned on his heel and slipped past Shiori. She smiled, like it was a small victory, that his usual pallid face had a splash of colour across the nose.

"He's pleasant," Shiori said murderously, stalking after Eliot into his room.

"You're going to watch me change?" Eliot asked in amusement. Shiori dug him gently in the ribs.

"You're already wearing most of it, aren't you?" she asked, though she'd backed off toward the glossed door.

"Gotcha," Eliot laughed, his mouth curving into a one-sided smile. "No, I'm mostly ready, Shiori… I just need a new shirt and my bowtie and blazer," Eliot reached for a more elegant shirt than his usual old white ones. This shirt was black, sleek, and made of silk. "And, about Kaoru-Tan…? He's here more on sufferance than anything, but he's a close friend. It's my duty to look after him since he'd collapsed."

"That's definitely true," Shiori growled sarcastically, "Seeing as he just socked you in the face,"

"Oh, you unfeeling bitch," Eliot smiled. "He didn't know where he was and I was being a bit… I don't know, vindictive,"

"I don't think 'vindictive' is the right word," Shiori pointed out. "It means vengeful,"

"Aha, but I'm better than you at stuff like this. I work a bit harder at it, kiddo," he was smiling, though Shiori could see the bitterness.

"You'll be alright, El," Shiori said gently, grabbing his arm; now slippery to the touch. She rubbed it lovingly. "You know that you're my best friend, right?"

"Yeah," Eliot said, a little coldly. He grinned even so. "Alright, time to find Ruru-Tan," he tied the bowtie—the one he wore at his boarding school—and pulled on his blazer.

"This looks stupid," Kaoru snapped, walking into the room. Eliot smirked. The suit hung quite loosely from him, since he was even thinner than Eliot. "I don't want to look stupid,"

"Heh, it looks a bit strange, yeah," laughed Shiori. "Take the blazer off, you'll look fine,"

"Hmph," Kaoru muttered evilly, pulling off the blazer and gently placing it over his arm. He was taken slightly by surprise when he heard an audible gasp;

"K—Kaoru-Tan!" Eliot was struggling to look stern. "You need to wear a tie, not your scarf!"

"My scarf _is _my tie," Kaoru pointed out coldly. And, sure enough, instead of the long trails dangling down his back like he preferred them, Kaoru had slanted his scarf over his shoulders in a way that it could pass for both a tie and a princely cape.

"You look official," Shiori said coldly, glancing at Eliot. "Is it just you and your friend going out, El, or do I have to come too?"

"Of course you're coming! Silly Shiori-Chan," Eliot grinned, shaking his head and sighing playfully. As he and Shiori stared at each other in a way that made Kaoru feel extremely uncomfortable, Eliot's phone rang. The tune was fairly annoying to Kaoru, but Shiori smiled as soon as she heard it. She waved him off, pushing him into his room. "Hello?"

"_Hello._" Said the voice.

"Ah—_Contractor_?" Cried Eliot, hopefully so that Kaoru couldn't hear him. "Are—are you seriously calling _me_?"

"_I am. You see, I am calling to inquire about the Lone Demon. He is awake, isn't he?_" the calm voice said. It unnerved Eliot, even though he couldn't see the disturbing face of the blind man.

"Correct," Eliot said smoothly. "Yup, we're going out to a fancy restaurant now. Break the ice a little—calm him down," he'd had the favours in order for the owner to let Eliot in anytime going ever since Kaoru had been taken back to his place.

"_I am glad that you are seeing to his comfort_," he continued, "_But there is a small fact you must know; today is that boy's anniversary,_"

"Anniversary? Referring to…?" Eliot raised his eyebrows, not in the mood for these games. He walked to the mirror in his room, rubbing the red mark.

"_His… day of birth_," _The Contractor _said softly, chuckling at Eliot's ignorance. "_I wish you luck in your future endeavours. Also… Thank you for your service_," and then the dial tone played. He was gone.

"Great," Eliot sighed. "Now what am I going to do…?" he stood still, feeling a little lost until he saw himself in the mirror. He looked too small, too weak. Too like when he was a kid. That wasn't him now. He wasn't random guy number one; he was Takashi Eliot! He was the only person in the world that could pull this off. And he would. He walked out of the room, raising his chin high and smiling broadly. "So—guess what? We're all going out for…" Kaoru looked up. _No. Not this. How could he know…?_ He thought desperately. "Ruru-Tan's birthday!"

"It's his birthday? Seriously? Ah, man, I never knew…" Shiori said, before realising just who Eliot had said. "Well, I won't get you a present, and we're even."

"I don't want a present…" Kaoru mumbled, but Eliot had already bridged his arm over Kaoru's bony shoulders. Shiori linked her arm with Eliot's and he smiled at Kaoru, who was still scowling.

"Away!" he laughed, dragging Kaoru away.

X x x

The restaurant was the fanciest Kaoru had ever been to. It was basically draped in velvet, lit by candles though it was the middle of the day. Eliot spoke in a soft tone to the owner, smiling at young girl broadly. He waved at them both, walking quickly towards a table. It was in a corner, a beautiful, slightly enclosed spot for four.

"Four…?" Kaoru said shortly, purposely using "shi" which meant death as well as four.

"I guess he messed up," Eliot said airily, grinning. "This was kind of short notice,"

"Mm," Kaoru said weakly, sitting down beside Eliot. Shiori sighed, beginning to sit beside Kaoru. Eliot, however, grabbed her arm and pulled her to sit beside him.

"Shiori!" he hissed, nudging her. His face lightened as he spoke; "Do you like Kaoru-Tan? Ah, I love a shock romance,"

"Eliot! God, you're such a drama queen," Shiori giggled, poking him. Kaoru looked at them both murderously.

"So, why do you not use honorific?" he asked, trying to keep a steady flow of conversation.

"Oh, because we've been friends since we were kids," Shiori said. "Then he moved away for like—ten years? I dunno; a long time, and then he pops up again! _Without _all that studying baggage. Okay, I still go to school, but hey, he always studied harder than me,"

"That's cool," Kaoru said coldly, sinking back into his chair. But he heard the strangest thing; a child yelling Onii-chan. It made him miss Reiko, just a bit, but then he didn't anymore… because it _was _Reiko.

"Onii-Chan! Eliot-Kun was right! Oh, here you are!" the child's face was alarmingly different to what Kaoru remembered—not because she was different, but because he'd not seen her up close for a long time. He distanced himself from his sister a lot.

"Reiko?" all of his thoughts sped to his mind in an instant and he was angry. This was Eliot's fault. "What the fuck? Seriously, Eliot, this is not fucking cool! My fucking sister of all people?"

"Onii-Chan?" Reiko retracted and Eliot looked around at the faces of the other eaters.

"Kaoru!" Eliot hissed, knocking Kaoru's knee with something. Kaoru put his head below the table and saw it. His D-Arms.

"Give me that!" cried Kaoru, but Eliot's finger tightened on the trigger and he raised his eyebrow darkly.

"Try me," Eliot said sharply. "Sit down, Reiko."

"Ah—Onii-Chan," Reiko mumbled, but she slid past Kaoru and sat beside him obediently. Eliot ate surprisingly well with one hand, especially considering that it was right- the one that he wasn't used to using. Shiori noticed, of course, but didn't mention it, keeping up a calm, kind but strained conversation with Reiko.

"—Right, Eliot?" Shiori said pointedly, knocking him with her elbow. He fell sideways slightly, but didn't acknowledge his comment. He was steadily staring at a boy who was leaning against the wall. He had glasses planted firmly on his nose and well-styled hair on his head. He was glaring intimidatingly. Eliot turned for a second, to look at Kaoru, who was sitting back, crossing his arm and refusing to eat.

"Eat, Kaoru," he said softly. "I know this isn't what you wanted. But it's still your birthday. What you've done isn't who you are, you know,"

"Idiot…" Kaoru said, clenching his teeth and dragging his trainers against the ground. Eliot smiled at Kaoru weakly, but when he turned back to the strange boy had started to stride towards him. He gasped, releasing the gun slightly.

"Hello," he said. His voice had a cold edge to it, but it sounded rusty. As if he didn't speak often. "You know, Takashi, it's rude to _steal_!" he yelled, spinning so that his leg collided with Eliot's head. Eliot yelled in pain, flying back into the wall. The choked noise he made seemed to make it worse as he fell against the table, gasping for air. His strangled cries, however, weren't loud enough to cover the sound of Kaoru's revolver clattering to the ground. Kaoru moved immediately, pulling it up and dashing after the mysterious boy, who'd already made a break for it. The last sound Kaoru heard from them was Reiko's voice;

"Hey! It's that toy gun! Onii-Chan…!"

Kaoru grabbed the boy's arm as he slowed at the restaurant's entrance.

"Greetings, Arakawa Kaoru-San," he said, smiling in the way Kaoru hated. It reminded him of Eliot. "My name is Suzuhara Takeshi, and I am like you."

"Like me?" Kaoru said, though he already knew what Takeshi meant.

"Ah, yes," Takeshi smiled again. "I am a hunter, just like you. I am not as famous as you, but my ability and my strength are… Nothing to be sneezed at, may I say,"

"Neither's mine, as you know," Kaoru said, smirking that this boy knew who he was.

"Yeah… But this meeting at the Sky Tree is… It's very important. _He _will be there. You could get yourself a second power," Takeshi said, smiling darkly. "Well, I should go. I've overstayed my welcome, and I've got preparations."

"This will be the biggest thing…" another voice said; deep and smart. "Everyone will be there. Anyone that means anything, anyway. Takashi Eliot was just trying to be… a good host."

"Thank you, Gaogamon," Takeshi smiled. "Alright. I expect to see you there, Arakawa Kaoru-San. You owe me, now," he said, pointing at the revolver in his hand. Kaoru glanced down at it, but then when he glanced back up, Takeshi was gone. Kaoru blinked at the street in front of him and then turned. He'd after to stay under the radar to stay out of Eliot's way—

"Kaoru!" he span around slowly, not at all surprised. Eliot didn't look too well; he was very pale and the red mark on his face looked worse than ever; his extremely messed up beige hair even messier. "You're not leaving, are you?" he sounded tired, so Kaoru didn't answer. "Please, Kaoru, your sister misses you," he ran his hand through his hair. "I'm not asking you to stay, I'm asking you to say goodbye at least, you bastard,"

"Fine," Kaoru sighed. "By the way, how'd you know that it was my birthday?"

"Ah… _The Contractor _told me so," Eliot said gently. "He must reckon you're worth it to tell me. Oh, and I wasn't hired to drag you to my place. You're lucky that I found you and not the police,"

"Whatever," Kaoru sighed. He walked back into the restaurant, not even reddening as everyone stared. Eliot had already noted that he was never to return to this particular place.

"Onii-Chan! I thought you'd have run away," Reiko cried into Kaoru's chest. "Please come home with me, Kaoru!"

"No, Reiko," Kaoru stumbled back. "My place's in Tokyo right now. With Eliot and that chic,"

"That chic has a name," Shiori hissed, rubbing the back of Eliot's head. "But I know this time that Eliot's injuries weren't your fault."

"It'll be best if you don't tell Mom where I am," he said coldly. He didn't really mean to say it like that, but he couldn't manage to say it softly.

"I won't, Onii-Chan," Reiko whispered. "I love you,"

"Yeah," Kaoru sighed, ruffling her hair and turning. He knew that Eliot would take him to choose a present. He didn't really want to, but it was a nice gesture all the same. For now, at least, maybe The Lone Demon could take a break. Things would work out in the end. "I love you, too,"

**Next Time: **I've decided to only hunt for my Deep! I've let go of my kiddie exterior, and I don't care what my Mom says about it, I'm not going to go back into my old ways. Everything I do, I do for him! I love him with all I have! So when he comes back into town, I'm so glad!

But, Alison, things aren't that simple. He's even more aloof than before. Could it be because it's coming up to Valentine's?

Oh, Birdramon! Don't you worry! Next time; "Alison's Dream Ignites!" Deepy—ah, "Deep's in for one heck of a ride!"


	12. Book 1: Draft: Episode 12

Deep's feet crossed from the slippery, icy surface of the Digital Field onto the hard, wooden boards of the outer-dock. He looked up; surveying the beautiful place he'd grown up in. The sky had lost the misty reds of the sunrise, but just the fluffy white clouds against the tall buildings were striking. He turned away, sighing slightly, to look at the dark, murky waters below him.

His reflection looked back, tanned face still flushed from his goodbye with his friends. He dipped his foot into the water, spinning it into a circle so that the Deep in the water dissipated, tearing into pieces and swimming away. He winced at the sight.

"Oh, Deep…" said Sorcerermon softly. "Gatomon was good company,"

"Mmn," Deep nodded. He sighed, dragging his feet against the ground at the walked away. He sighed a long sigh, knowing that Alison would soon sense his reappearance and that he couldn't avoid confrontation. The odd chuckle from Sorcerermon assured him that he was thinking the same thing.

"Have you felt it, Deep?" Sorcerermon asked suddenly, his voice low and serious. Deep nodded, and Sorcerermon saw it; it was a Digital Field.

"I'm surprised there's not more," Deep commented softly. "I mean, Alison's not… good at this,"

"Maybe she's dead," Sorcerermon said, a little too hopefully for Deep's liking. He ran, trainers knocking hard on the concrete, to the scene; a little, well-clipped park.

"I used to play there…" Deep gasped as he ran. "I know… I know it… Well,"

"That's—" Sorcerermon began, as Deep slowed outside the thick, metal gates. It was a park mostly for children, so it reached the boy's waist and he threw himself over with ease. "—Curious,"

"What's—" asked Deep, smiling, but then he saw what was curious. There was a girl. Not a field. It wasn't even _a _girl. It was _the _girl. "Alison?" She turned, a little surprised, but suddenly her face flushed. She spoke with a deeper, more feminine tone, but the same enthusiasm;

"Deep! Oh, I knew you'd come back!"

"Hi… Ali… Son…"

**Episode Twelve: Alison's Dream Ignites! Deep's in For One Hell of a Ride!**

"I wanted to give you your gifts, Deep," Alison said as she trotted alongside him. "I wasn't sure that you'd _ever _come back,"

"…Gifts?" Deep asked weakly, holding his arms stiffly at his side while Alison's arms wrapped around them.

"Yeah," Alison nodded, her red ponytail bouncing from the back of her head. "I found a reason to hunt! I just had to find something else I was passionate about… And, I'm sure you'll come to that conclusion!"

"Alison… I'm three years older than you," Deep was trying, and failing, to let the young girl down gently.

"That's cool, my mom and dad are nearly ten years," Alison's enthusiasm was like a thorn in Deep's side.

"I'm attached," he blurted out. Alison recoiled in surprise.

"Are you?" she asked in disbelief.

"Are you?" Sorcerermon asked, not even hiding his amusement.

"Ah… Maybe," Deep said weakly, taking a hand through his hair. "Or… Maybe not," he sighed. "No, you can calm down. I'm not attached. No wife—and no girlfriend…"

"You do have a girlfriend!" Alison declared. "Me!"

"Oh, Good Lord," Deep said, putting his hand to his forehead and feeling his increased temperature. "Look, let's come back to this later, alright? You mentioned some kind of… I dunno, lovely gift, for me?"

"DigiMemories, silly," Alison smiled, linking arms with him. "I've been hunting for you. I'm good, too. Almost fifty…"

"What? No, no, I can't accept that!" Deep cried, pushing her hand away, but the girl was also far more persistent than she was before, and that was saying something.

"Take it," Alison said, grinning, "It's fine. I don't mind. I got it for you, Deep,"

"I…" Deep said weakly, clenching his hand a few times. "I…Thank you, Alison… But I must tell you, there's this… meter."

"Meter… You mean that thingy on my phone? It's weird, huh?"

"No…" Deep shook his head, taking a breath. "It's called the 'Bandwidth Meter', like computers. It's like… A meter of how you're looking after yourself. Kind of… It's like if you don't use memories, you'll… die? I don't know exactly how it works. It's probably really different to that. But you have to keep some to cleanse it. Or else…"

"Or else…?" Alison asked, chuckling. She held up her D-Spacer, and the the little meter read "25%".

"You need some now," Deep sighed, taking some from the girl's palm and dropping the memories on top of it.

"Will you remind me, Deep?" Alison asked gently.

"Say no," Sorcerermon said sharply.

"I…" Deep said, defeated. "I will."

"You'll be at my side, then," Alison said brightly. It was a trick, and Deep knew it. He sighed, slowly. "You can't leave. I won't let you! Or… I'll… I'll never forgive you!"

"We know, Alison," Deep muttered. "But what if... What if I'm _gone _one day? You need to do it yourself, dummy,"

"Hmph," said Alison, folding her thin arms and sniffing coldly. She looked away and walked steadily, head held high, even though her eyes sparkled.

Even though Alison couldn't see her, Birdramon was sighing with bored eyes. Her partner was a twit. A good hunter, she may be, but a total idiot for all that.

"Dumb, dumb, dumb," she sighed.

"My partner's a genius," smirked Sorcerermon. "He's stringing this girl along. And letting her down so sweetly! I'd have just said 'See ya,' and shot her, but Deep has a little _class—_"

"Unlike you," snapped Birdramon, floating dejectedly behind Alison.

"Thank you for treating me to Ice Cream, Alison," Deep said weakly. He was getting very odd looks from people in the parlour for being bought for by a girl younger than him. "It's—it really tastes… Lovely,"

"This is my favourite parlour," Alison said dreamily, not noticing the daggers that Deep was being shot. "It does the best ice cream…"

"Yeah," Deep said thoughtfully. He didn't share many opinions with the young girl, but the place he'd been brought to was real old-style and the Ice Cream really did taste good, and he didn't really like Ice cream. It was his good friend that was a sucker for ice cream. When they'd fought, he could just buy her ice cream and she'd be sweetness and light again… for about five seconds. He smiled at the memories. "I'm gonna miss it,"

"Miss it?" Alison said in surprise, her green eyes rounding. "What do you mean? You're—No! You can't be leaving again! You said that you wouldn't," Alison's new, deeper voice was breaking, and tears formed and dribbled down her cheeks. The other people were now staring _swords_ at Deep.

"Alison! I never ever said that! Not once," he said defensively.

"You said that…" she said, between gulps, "You… You said that you'd remind me!" she wailed, thumping Deep with her fists. Her red hoodie fell over her hands as she did so, and she pulled back, burying her face in the sleeves and howling.

"Alison, don't make a scene," Deep instructed. His voice sounded strong and firm, but inside he was panicking. Everyone was looking at them. Everyone thought he'd upset her. They thought he was _dating _her. And he couldn't stand that. "Come on," he grabbed her arm tightly and pulled her along behind him, glaring stonily ahead.

"D-Deep," she wailed. "I-I'm sorry for—for, um, making a scene… I just… I thought you'd be staying this time. I thought you _loved me_," she whispered. Deep didn't hear, or he acted like he didn't, carrying on. He tugged her into a small corner shop and stood her in there, clutching her shoulders with his large hands as she cried.

"Alison," his voice was strong, even though inside he was wavering. "Will you clean your meter if I leave?"

"I…" Alison shrugged helplessly, sobbing harder.

"Fine, then," Deep sighed. "If you want to leave your parents, your home and everything you've ever known, for me, I won't stop you. I'll… I'll… take you back… with me."

"W—Will you? Really?" Alison jumped up, her head snapping up so quickly that tears jumped from her face onto Deep's.

"I… Yeah," It was the simplest answer. It was the one he didn't want to say. He didn't know why he did. "But, what about your parents? Your friends?"

"They're nothing compared to you… My love for you," Alison said softly, stroking Deep's cheek. He pulled away sharply, hissing under his breath. "I'll go to pack, darling," she held his shoulders tightly and kissed his cheek, walking away sharply. "I'm going home with Deep, la la la la de,"

"Oh, you little bitch," Birdramon hissed.

"You just don't understand love," Alison said dismissively, skipping to her home.

"I don't, no," Birdramon growled. "Or your fascination with the teal-haired boy. This place could be ours, Alison! You could be the next Lone Demon!"

"I heard that everyone hates him," Alison said shortly. "I'd rather be obscure and loved by few than be famous and hated by everyone."

"You're an idiot," Birdramon sighed. She refused to say another word.

"Hi, honey," Mrs. Kingsley said as Alison walked in. "How was your day?"

"It was great, Mom," Alison said. Her heart started beating at the thought of leaving her, but it was really no big deal. She'd be back soon. "I saw the guy I like,"

"You mean that guy from the docks?" her mother's head snapped up. "The police need to question him,"

"No, Mom," Alison saved smoothly. "Devlin that guy from school," She had liked a boy named Devlin, once, but that was a while ago. She didn't know what love was back then.

"Oh," her mother said suspiciously. "I'm glad. What are you doing home so soon?"

"I'm just… Getting changed," she smiled. "Back in a minute," she hopped up the stairs, breathing heavily. In her room, she grabbed a rack of multicolour hoodies and some more short-shorts. She packed a few pairs of trousers and underwear, checking what she'd packed. She included her passport and some money before smiling and closing her suitcase.

"Alison," Birdramon piped up as she sat on her bed, looking round her pink room.

"Yeah," Alison asked happily.

"I'm begging you now. Not just as your partner, as your friend too; reconsider?" Birdramon asked sharply.

"I'm not," Alison said. "I'm sorry, but I refuse. It's my choice. He asked me, not you. And I'm going," she ignored the rest of Birdramon's pleas, staring into space and thinking about Deep. The light from the window glittered in her deep emerald eyes and there was a soft shine on her lips. There was also a soft flush across her cheeks; it was clear she was in love.

"_I love you_," said Alison's imaginary Deep. "_You're the most beautiful girlfriend in the world…_"

"_I love you too, Deep,_" Alison gushed lovingly. "_You are so wonderful…_"

"_I can't believe that time we saved the world… And it was all because of our love_!" Deep cried, reaching around Alison's waist. He kissed the top of her head gently, feeling her hair gently with his fingers. "_Ring, ring_,"

"What?" Alison said in surprise, pushing him back. But her whole imaginary scenario faded to dust as she felt her D-Spacer buzzing. "These things can get calls?" she picked it up, staring at it, eyes widened. "H—Hello?"

"Hello," the voice was deep and obviously digitally edited,. It still sounded natural, but like it as being heard through some inhuman, emotion-stripping filter.

"Oh. I don't recognise your voice," Alison said. "Do—Ah, do I know you?"

"Aha, no, or yes?" he said gently. "What's the matter?"

"Ha…" Alison said quietly.

"Are you planning to go on a trip?" he asked, his voice sounding clearly digital.

"I am," Alison replied, her voice filling with love.

"I can tell you're excited. All I can ask you to do, however, is not go." He was so abrupt, so cold, that it gave Alison shivers.

"What? That's hardly your business, sir," Alison snapped, her heart thumping heavily.

"Oh, but it is. If you go, you see, you'll be dead before the end of the year," he said, without a waver in his icy voice.

"What? Are you going to kill me if I go? Did Birdramon put you up to this?" Alison felt tears spring to her eyes, but she was frozen still with fear.

"I will not kill you, dear friend. No. But I can't fight my friend if she's dead, can I?" asked the man softly. "Please, give it another thought for me? Try. Goodbye, child." Alison stared at her D-Spacer. She suddenly unfroze, throwing it with all of her might and collapsing to the floor with horrified sobs.

"Alison?" Birdramon's cool brood questioned suddenly. "Alice? Are you alright?"

"How… Could… Could he _know_?" She cried, howling into her bed-sheets. "Oh no…"

"Alison…"

"What am I going to _do_? That horrible, horrible person's going to kill me if I go with Deep! I'm so scared, what do I do; what do I _do_?" Alison was so unresponsive that Birdramon, even though she was Birdramon, was just a little bit scared.

"Call that boy. Call him… and ask for help," she said, her voice cracking with worry.

"Deep? You think he'd help me?" Alison asked, sitting up and sniffing bitterly.

"Maybe…" Birdramon said softly. "Please try,"

X x x

"Oh, Sweetheart," Deep said softly, his feet skimming the crystal waters of the lake. "Is this you punishing me? I'm sorry… I'm sorry," he whispered. Not a single tear had formed in his shiny eyes. "This is you, reminding me to never forget the consequences of that which we call 'Love',"

"Deep," Sorcerermon said irritably, though his voice had a hint of gentility. "Put on a new record."

"Sorry," Deep sighed. "A part of me doesn't want to forget. It's disloyal to her." As he spoke, his D-Spacer buzzed. It was a cheerful little tune, entirely not like Deep. It was a joke by the very girl Deep had loved. "Ah, Hello?"

"D-Deep?" the voice was Alison's. It was shaky, as if she was terrified.

"Alison?" there was a tone of alarm in Deep's voice. "What's up? Are you hurt?"

"I—this guy called," she said, sobbing for a few moments before regaining her composure. "And I… I… He wants to kill me, I think, and… Will you help me, Deep?"

"Whatever," Deep sighed, cutting the call. He sat still for a second, skimming his feet again.

"You're not going?" Sorcerermon asked, a little excitedly.

"Of course I'm going," Deep said, a hint of resentment in his warm tone.

X x x

"A little more," the make-up Alison had put on was streaming down her face, but she seemed a little more relaxed as she tugged the muscle-bound teen through the window. He wriggled uncomfortably, crashing into the little-girly room with a thud.

"It's very pink," Deep said in a daze. It was; the carpet on the ground was fluffy and pink, the shelves rose and all the utensils pink. A little pink laptop sat on the desk.

"It is," Alison said, laughing self-consciously. "About this guy…"

"What did his voice sound like?" Deep asked, rolling around and sitting up. Alison held her giggles in as his messed teal hair filled with small pink feathers.

"It was flat," she said, feeling the fear that captured her body as he spoke return. "And it was deep… And… Well… It sounded _digital_. You know—like that thing on Apple Macs that reads stuff? Except more human,"

"Yes, I know," Deep knew all too well. "I know who your "stalker" is."

"You do, really? Who is it?" Alison's eyes glittered. She knew her Deep would come through.

"No, I can't tell you. I Know he won't kill you," the seventeen-year-old sighed slowly. "But you should heed his warning. He's… Special… Like that,"

"What? I'm not heeding his damn warning! I'm going with you." Alison said, falling forwards to hug him. She sniffed his salty scent before she was pushed away.

"Are you sure?" Deep asked, and the redhead nodded. There was nothing that Deep could do. He sighed, shuffling back to the bed and grabbing his D-Spacer. The network should be purging. The Latest Hunter was Kyle Roberts—he felt his heart skip a beat, but he moved on once he saw that his old friend Attikus was online.

**Deep-Blue: **Hi Atty! Long time no see, man!

**Awesome-Atty: **Deep? Man, it's been a while. How're you?

**Deep-Blue: **Ack, don't even ask.

**Awesome-Atty: **If you want to talk just call. It is _slow _in Africa. Have you talked to Aleatte or Jean lately? I miss the old days when we were never busy.

**Deep-Blue: **Things are certainly picking up. Are you going to that meeting soon?"

**Awesome-Atty: **Ah, Yeah. So I'll see you there?

**Deep-Blue: **From what I hear, the whole group's going. Including my own team. Remember them?

**Awesome-Atty: **Badass! I'm glad…

"Deep? Deep, who's that you're talking to?" Alison asked, her voice loud and a little condescending. She tried to look over his shoulder, but Deep ducked away, holding onto the D-Spacer tightly. "Deep! Come on," she cried in frustration, but his tanned fingers were still pressing the buttons and typing. "Deep! Wahh," she cried, throwing her D-Spacer at the ground. Wrong move.

"Alison? I've heard voices. And what was that?" footsteps.

"Oh, God," Alison grabbed Deep's arm and pulled him up to her window, squeezing him through.

"This is fun! We should do this every day," Sorcerermon cackled.

"No," Deep said firmly as he tumbled into the dark.

"Alison?" she span around just in time. "Why's the window open? And what were you doing?"

"Oh, I was on the computer. It must've been too loud! And, I got frustrated and threw my phone. After that, I was so hot that I opened the window!"

"…Alright," her mother said slowly, sounding like she bought very little of the story. "Get to bed. School tomorrow,"

"Yes, Mom," Alison said, though she didn't need to go to school tomorrow. Or for the foreseeable future. She grabbed her suitcase, took one last look around her now-dark room, whispered her love to her mother, and then, with a swing, she was gone.

"Alison?" Deep had already started to walk into the night.

"No, I'm coming. If you don't let me, I'm telling my mom you raped me," Alison nodded.

"That's blackmail," Deep pointed out weakly.

"It is," Alison nodded, her lips curling in satisfaction.

"How about… Murder?" asked Sorcerermon, the hate in his voice soft but clear.

"Ah…" Deep looked up for a moment, considering it. Alison fell back in shock, but he shook his head. "No. Too much baggage. You can follow me, but don't think I'll protect you."

"Liar," Alison said softly as he opened a field. He stepped through it and evaporated into light. Alison gasped lovingly at the sight and dashed after him, so that she, too, was gone.

X x x

The light switched on, and the half-asleep Alison jumped. The people were looking in disbelief.

"Guys…" Deep's voice was quiet and solemn, his eyes dark. "We have a problem."

**Next Time: **Our new addition attempts to ruin Zhane-Kun's flat with her girly stuff while I'm left to just look on, while Eliot-San in Japan begins to think Shiori-San has feelings for Arakawa! David-Kun happens across a mysterious girl whereas Deep-Kun reminisces about long-ago times. But Kingsley-Chan attempts to turn the tables of love on him, and Kyle-San spends some time with his fiancée and Chase and I spend a day out together… but will it all be okay? Find out next time; "A gift from me to you! A Valentine's Day hunt!"


	13. Book 1: Draft: Episode 13 Valentines Day

"What do you mean?" Zhane said, not even noticing the small redhead clinging to the tanned man's arm.

"Could it be… an old loose end, Deep?" Chase asked softly. His emerald eyes were glittering with pity as he spoke, which caused the young girl to shoot him a murderous look.

"Hold on, hold on," David cut in, as Deep sighed tiredly. He couldn't get a word in edgeways. "It could be anything, let's not jump to conclusions. I mean, honestly, it can't be that bad or Deep would've come straight to us."

"Maybe it's a fight," Zhane cried, punching the air. "We'll so kick ass! Or, maybe it's got to do with that bastard Arakawa,"

"Hey," Hikari said suddenly, from her spot standing with her eyes downcast. "Arakawa-Senpai's not that bad… He called me –Kohai. And anyway, he's not that good a hunter, not enough to be a problem from Kyoto, is he?"

"He's the No.4 ranked Hunter in the entire world," Chase said softly.

"And you really shouldn't defensively about people you know nothing about." David said his voice suddenly cold. "We worked together a little while back, but defending him is still defending a callous murderer. Maybe you didn't know that he murdered people for the heck of it? Well, yeah. He does. Sorry to disappoint,"

"David!" Chase caught his arm, eyes flashing green fury. "Please, she wasn't to know!" Hikari remembered to hold her tongue suddenly, falling back and rubbing her right arm hurriedly with her left hand. She breathed out softly, allowing her curtains of black hair to cover her face as she lowered her head.

"She needs to know in the end anyway. You don't want her looking for Arakawa and getting shot by him, do you?" David took a step forward, brown eyes glittering.

"Of course not," Chase growled. "You don't have to be a son of a bitch about it, though. And Hikari's here! Don't talk about her in the third person!"

"Guys, for God's sake stop bitching like girls," Deep said wearily. "The problem is her,"

"Who…?" Zhane said immediately, comically double-taking as he saw the young girl sitting beside Deep and tipping her head at him. "Oh holy shit," he said suddenly, his bubble deflating as he stumbled back into a chair. "You… you can't be serious, man,"

"Got it in one," Deep sighed, shaking his head. "Sorry, Zhane, not much I can do about this one,"

"You could've killed her, but you're a hopeless romantic, Deep!" chortled Sorcerermon.

"Not another one, man! There's this guy in Edinburgh too! That's it, you're rich, and the rent is all yours, man, 'because I can't take this bullshit," Zhane said, clutching his head as if he were wondering if it were all real. "David will be saying 'Oh, I got kicked out, I just want to come in for Tea and Crumpets, me old chaps,' and he'll be living here too, soon, just you watch! Just you fucking watch!"

"'Tea and Crumpets, me old chap?'" David asked, in slight amusement, even though he was still fuming.

"Just—you shut the fuck up you leech! _Leeches_! You're all fucking _Leeches_!" Zhane cried, and then he stopped, breathing heavily after his outburst for a moment. He stopped, looking up at Alison. She looked more than a little amused with his yelling, her mouth a little curve of a smile. Zhane stared at her for a moment. She looked Hikari's age. _Whoa—wait, wow. _"It's a girl,"

"Apt description, Zhane, bravo," Deep muttered as he felt Alison's weight shift in confusion.

"Cut the sarcasm crap!" Zhane snapped. "It's a girl—wait—and it's a young girl. _Another _young girl. See where I'm going? I mean, fuck, man common decency much?"

"I'm amazed, Zhane. Your power of mind has just totally blown me away," Deep said sharply, dragging a hand through his thick fringe. "I didn't want to bring her… She brought herself, really…"

"Oh, Deepy! You don't mean it! You're heartfelt confession will come, I know it…" the girl replied dreamily, placing her head of crimson hair on his shoulder. He shook it off irritably.

"Oh, for God's sake," Chase sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Right, what's your name, kiddo?"

"Alison Kingsley, at! Your! Service!" Alison cried happily, jumping up and spinning around, laughing. She was so weird; energetic at this hour. "We can talk about all this wishy-washy girl crap in the morning okay? It's been a long day. I'm tired. And you, Alison, will be bunking with Hikari," he paused, letting the horror appear on the small girl's face before adding; "_right_, Hikari?"

"Oh, no, I—" Hikari began, shaking her head a little jaggedly, but suddenly two arms cloaked in red hoodie wrapped around her.

"Oh! Yeah, I've always wanted a sister! You can be my New Roomie BFF, right?" Alison grabbed Hikari's arm and pulled her off, and Hikari only had time to give Chase a despairing glare.

"Great idea, Chase," Zhane raised his voice slightly. "They're Girls! Before you know it, they'll be singing: Roomies, roomies, roomies, Roomies, roomies, roomies, Roomies, roomies, roomies, Roomies, roomies, roomies"

**Chapter Thirteen: A Gift From Me to You! A Valentine's Day Hunt!**

"You little bitch!"

"Yeah, I'm kind of a _puppy_, birdbrain!" the sounds of arguing woke Hikari from her position cocooned up on the floor. She stuck her head up, breathing heavily, and looked at her D-Spacer blearily.

"Salamon? Who're you talking to?" she asked, rolling around to sit upright.

"That stupid—"

"Watch it!" Hikari glanced up in surprise, to see the strange new girl still fast asleep, her D-Spacer placed haphazardly beside it. She let out a stifled gasp.

"You two aren't arguing, are you?" she said sharply, hand tightening around her D-Spacer.

"Of course! Get that bitch out, Hikari, or hell, I will!" Salamon seethed, her high voice sounding similar to a dog growling. It was just a little unnerving.

"Hey, hey," she said, her voice hushed so that Birdramon couldn't hear. "Calm it, calm it, I will… Alison?" She raised her voice as she deposited the D-Spacer beside her sleeping bag. "Alison," she shook her new 'roomie', touching her arm gently.

"Yeah, Mom?" She asked softly, her accent slightly thicker than usual. Hikari shook Alison a little harder, trying to keep her face a mask of carelessness.

"No, it's not Mom. It's _Hikari_. Come on, Alison, wake up!" Alison finally lifted her eyelids, though her eyes were unfocussed still.

"What's up, Roomie BFF?" she said sleepily, tugging the duvet up around her shoulders, getting comfortable again. She kept her eyes open, though she was still clearly half-asleep.

"No, I'm not your 'Roomie BFF'. I don't want a Roomie BFF… I've always slept in a room by myself… I'd be barely sleeping with you in here. I'd be useless," Hikari reasoned, sitting back on her knees and folding her arms.

"Don't worry, I'm not loud," Alison said, sniffing and rolling over. "Just go back to _sleep_, roomie,"

"You're not listening. I'm not your roomie! I don't even _want _a Roomie BFF, I said," Hikari began, shaking Alison even more vigorously.

"Tough!" Zhane cried, slamming his fist against the room door a few times. "We all have to make sacrifices, Riri-Chan!" Hikari sat motionlessly for a second at the thought of her new nickname. Riri-Chan? What was that even supposed to mean…?

"Guys," David said, tugging the tuxedo-like jacket tighter around himself. "I'm off,"

"We're sorry, David," Chase said, catching his arm. "Be careful. Try not to catch the police's attention, alright?"

"That'll be hard," David sighed, rubbing his arms. "I don't know. I've got to go, though… I wasn't close to anyone at college, but I've got to honour their memories."

"Be careful, man. Stay frosty," Deep said, straightening the suit slightly. "And get a suit that fits ya, come on! I want you to look _good _if something happens to me,"

"Well I wouldn't mind what you wore to my funeral if you came," Chase added solemnly. "You look fine. Get going before you're late,"

"Like I was every day to college? And don't talk about funerals, you clowns. You're sticking around, got that?" He nudged them both, smiling at Zhane as he walked through. "I'm going, Zhane. Be nice to the girls,"

"Have fun," Zhane said sleepily.

"I'm going to a funeral," David said, smiling despite himself.

"Oh," Zhane said, scratching his head for a moment. "Well, have fun," David laughed softly, rubbing the back of his head.

"Bye, Hikari, bye, Alison!" David called. Neither replied. He sighed, shaking his head and shrugging. He bro-hugged Deep and Chase before going, raised a hand and then left Zhane's flat. The mood after he was gone was a little sombre.

"What a day to have a funeral," Deep said quietly. "Valentine's,"

"I know," Chase said, sighing. "Anyway, I should go and ask Hikari out. Wait, wait, no that came out wrong," Chase corrected quickly, blushing.

"Ooh, Chase and Hikari sitting in a tree," Deep began, but before he could continue, Chase had thumped him in the chest.

"F-R-I-E-N-and-D," Chase said sharply. He glared, rushing past Deep to the door to Hikari—oh, and Alison's—room. "Hikari? Hey, girls, can I, um, come in?" Chase said awkwardly, placing a hand behind his head and stroking one of the feathers that decorated his hair. It relaxed him.

"Oh, Chase. Well, Alison's asleep, so… I'll come out to you," Hikari said, and the door before Chase opened, producing the small young lady. He stepped back and she stepped out, closing the door behind her. "Yes, Chase?"

"Uh, I know it's Valentine's day and this will seem highly inappropriate, but I won some tickets in a raffle for a Kid's charity to this diner. It's a real nice place, but the tickets are for two, and… Well, you've done well. You deserve a reward for being such a good apprentice, so…" Chase felt his skin redden and cursed himself for being human. They were just friends; couldn't they eat a meal together as friends?

"Oh, I… That's so kind of you, Chase. I think… It would be awful of me to refuse…" She nodded, as if coming to some kind of conclusion. "So I won't refuse. I'll go to this place with you, Chase. But we're still just friends okay?" She eyed him carefully, but Chase seemed relieved.

"Yes," he said. "As friends. We should go soon, though. Maybe in an hour or so?"

"Okay," Hikari said, smiling. "Arigato, ah, Thank you," she was getting a little flustered. "Chase,"

"So cute, Chase! You've got yourself a girl for V-Day! Adorable, my man," Zhane said, seemingly appearing from no-where to lean on Chase's shoulder. "You two make such an interesting couple. Your hair colour alone is such a contrast!"

"Zhane," Chase growled suddenly, reaching around to noogie Zhane. "We're just friends and you _know_ that. Go get a date you junkie,"

"Who's the junkie? I'm not the dude staying at Zhane's place, am I?" Zhane paused, posing self-righteously before realising what he just said. "Oh no, wait, that came out deformed,"

"I'm sure," Chase said, patting Zhane very gently on the head before turning and walking away. Zhane looked after him grumpily, while Hikari went back into her room thoughtfully. She didn't have many sets of clothes on her, and none that looked particularly good. Then she cursed herself for feeling the need to dress up, walking right into Alison.

"Ah," she said, falling back. "Hi, Alison,"

"Konnichiwa, Roomie," Alison flapped her arms, while Hikari sighed at her slight language fail. "I heard you caught yourself a man! Do you want to borrow some of my clothes? I have plenty!" She grinned. Hikari decided that she wouldn't cave to her, however friendly (in her own odd way) she was being.

"No, thanks, Alison. And he's not 'my man' he's 'my mentor,'" She added, bending down to straighten her sleeping bag, not looking at the ever-so slightly taller girl.

"Oh, well," Alison said. "I'm going to get myself a man right now! My Derpy! ... Wait no... Aw, I'm so tired! My Deepy! He'll fall right into my arms, you'll see! I'm a Mistress of subtlety!" She winked, striding purposefully out of the room. Hikari couldn't help but follow, her interest peaked. Alison padded around for a little while, hunting Deep out. "Oh Deep," she said loudly as he made himself breakfast. "Someone should ask me out, huh? A young girl my age alone on Valentine's day…"

"Yeah," Deep said in a deadpan tone. "_Someone_ should."

"Oh…" Alison said, deflating. Hikari held her breath to stop herself from laughing at what was, essentially, a perfect response. Deep sighed, abandoning the omelette he was making.

"Hey, Bitch-Chan," he said softly, with a nickname that Hikari had come to know as endearing, "You should have breakfast. You need to have some food to have eloquent conversation with Chase later, kiddo."

"Ah, arigato Deep-San," Hikari slapped her forehead. "I mean,"

"No, it's alright," Deep said, sighing as he put the omelette on a plate. "It's all yours. I'm going out. Alone." He muttered something to Zhane, who chuckled and then was out the door, Alison looking imploringly after him.

"He gave you a nickname?" She asked, eyes glittering and tears forming. She brushed them away determinedly. "And gave you an omelette. What's the deal with you guys? Dish, girl, dish!"

"I… There is no deal," Hikari said, shrugging. "This is highly irregular. He thinks I'm stuck-up…"

"Stuck-up?" Alison said, looking at Hikari for a moment. "Hm, you look a bit stuck-up. Never mind! I'm gonna go track Deepy, alright? I'll be back," the young girl dashed off to collect her phone, and shortly after the door clunked shut for the third time that morning.

Hikari sighed, sitting down with her omelette. She looked at it for a while, wondering what, exactly, Deep's deal actually was. Then she remembered that only Chase knew exactly what _her _deal was, and decided that it wasn't right to pry, sticking a fork into her omelette. She tasted it awkwardly and smiled. It was fairly plain, but very textured, soft and warm. A bit like the man that made it.

"Hikari? I'm going to work on my bike, okay? I'll be just outside if you need me. Oh, and see if the new girl's on the network. It was dumb of her to wander off into a city she doesn't know by herself." Zhane smiled, collecting his tools from their place living beside the window. Then, he turned and was gone. Of course, he'd forgotten of Chase's presence, standing on the impossibly small concrete balcony and bathing in the brisk winter's sun. Even so, Hikari pulled out her D-Spacer and checked out the Network. Alison was, in fact online, to Hikari's surprise. So was someone else she didn't really want to think about.

**Hikari-Akarui: **Hey, Alison.

**Alison-Kingsley: **Whoa! Hey, Hikari. I'm tracing Deepy ||D

**Hikari-Akarui: **So not Derpy then? Sounds like fun... So, have you heard of Kaoru Arakawa?

**Alison-Kingsley: **Funny. And nope! Is he your brother? Your last names are similar, he he.

**Hikari-Akarui: **Um, no…?

**Alison-Kingsley: **Lol, sorry, was just thinkin'. Who's he, then?

**Hikari-Akarui: **He's just this hunter. Sorry for mentioning it.

**Alison-Kingsley: **Ooh! Young love?

**Hikari-Akarui: **What? Alison, that's not the case. He's just this guy.

**Alison-Kingsley: **Well, dish!

**Hikari-Akarui: **Um… I talked to him on New Year's, and he seemed okay, but he's apparently awful.

**Alison-Kingsley: **Forbidden love?  
>*I mean friendship ;)<p>

**Hikari-Akarui: **Alison! I'm sorry I brought it up!

**Awesome-Atty:** Hey! You're Alison, huh? ^^

**Hikari-Akarui: **What? Huh?

**Awesome-Atty: **Did I cut in? Sorry! I'm the Crimson Blaze of Africa, Atticus!

**Alison-Kingsley: **What? Am I famous?

**Awesome Atty: **Not quite, Kiddo. I'm ol' Derp's pal!

**Alison-Kingsley: **Oh, a friend of Deepy? Nice to meet you~~!

**Awesome-Atty: **Yeah, you too.

**Alison-Kingsley: **Ah! We're talking about Kaoru Akakaka or something… You know him?

**Awesome-Atty: **Akakaka? Do you mean 'Arakawa'? The Lone Demon of Kyoto?

**Alison-Kingsley: **Yup! I think so, he he.

**Hikari-Akarui: **So, you know things about this man, Crimson Blaze?

**Awesome-Atty: **I do, and I don't. Basically, he's this hunter that t  
>*Fuck. Basically, he's this hunter. He's been doing this for around two years and he kind of 'caught on' really quickly. That's the scary thing. You can't 'catch on' because Hunting is too… well. Don't you girls still find it terrifying?<p>

**Hikari-Akarui: **A bit…

**Alison-Kingsley: **Nope! Deepy will protect me.

**Awesome-Atty: **Kid, you're a burden :/  
>* Gotta flash! Love ya, bye!<p>

Hikari looked at her phone in shock. That man was so strange. But what he said rung so clearly in her head. Did Kaoru 'catch on' quickly without a mentor? Hikari couldn't have done that. She stroked the screen, ignoring the annoying flames coming in from Alison. She turned off the Network, placing her head onto her arms.

"Hikari?" a sudden voice made the young girl jump. She turned, looking at Chase. He'd returned from the balcony, his hair bird's nest-like from the wind. "I was thinking, when I was out there."

"Were you thinking it was cold?" Hikari suggested, playing with the D-Spacer.

"Ha, maybe just a bit. But I was really thinking of last night. You know, when we were all arguing?" He pulled a chair out, looking at the omelette. "Looks good. Was that Deep's?" Hikari nodded, poking the quarter of it that remained with her fork. "Listen, Hikari. I know David was bitching unfairly at you, but Kaoru was… _Is _a really bad guy. I know he seems okay, but you're not in his territory, you're not looking him in the eyes. He's the fourth best hunter in the world, yes, that makes him damn strong, but he's the number one hunter in terms of viciousness and cruelty. I'm sorry if we came across as unfair dicks, but that's why. We care about you, Hikari, and don't want to see you get hurt."

"I know. I just… Never mind," Hikari had just felt a slight attachment to the person who'd aided her decision to come here. But then, if he was such a bad person, was her decision just like that?

"Are you still up for dinner later? As—as friends," Chase said, is complexion once again turning pink.

"Yes," Hikari said softly.

"Oh, and Hikari?" Chase said, turning pillar-box red. "Ah… Will you be my Platonic Valentine?"

X x x

_How did it get to this? _Eliot's face, too, was red, from the blood rushing to it. He was hanging upside down, vines wrapped tightly around him, squeezing every bit of oxygen out of him. His turquoise eyes focussed blurrily on the girl standing below him, her arms crossed and her expression like that of a spider just catching its prey.

"You! You bitch!" Eliot wailed, trying to wriggle free of the vines that bound him. "Let me go right now!" He punched out, but his limbs were still being kept tightly under check.

"Hey, Mikemon, do you know what's with this weird beige-haired boy recognising me?" the redhead asked curiously, placing her hands on her hips theatrically.

"Not a clue! I think we need to beat the answer out of him!" Mikemon laughed.

"What? No, we're reasonable people!" Eliot said sharply, relaxing slightly. Meanwhile, Leomon, his partner, was suffering the 'great injustice' of also being tied up—with his mouth covered. "At least free Leomon's mouth"

"He looks the kind to shoot his mouth off," the girl said, her eyes condemning behind her ovular glasses. "So, the answer is no."

"Come on!" Eliot said, struggling again. "We're not kids. Why are you here?"

"This is my field, Takashi," the girl said suddenly. "And now you're all mine to punish since you wandered in here. Like _Alice_!"

"But why?" Eliot stabbed, giving her a cold—albeit upside-down—glare. Chloe just smiled demurely, sitting down. Her Mikemon jumped onto her lap, padding it softly with her paws and then sitting down, smiling in the same infuriating way as her partner. Eliot sighed slowly. "Will you be at the Hunter's Gathering in Tokyo soon?"

"You bet your ass," she said, scratching Mikemon's head.

"Okay," Eliot said. "Why don't we catch up then? When I'm right-way up. And in my element. And not upside down."

"Mm, we can catch up now. In fact, let's play a game. I'll be Game Show Host. You'll bargain. It'll be like _Deal or No Deal_, except you need to give me a good enough reason to Deal with you. Go ahead, I'm listening…" the girl said to her apparent friend.

X x x

David hummed to himself, earplugs in as he listened to music. It was surprisingly soothing, though his heart was still sinking from the gargantuan task ahead. The funeral of so many young people… The police were up in arms, obviously, but there were loads of random disappearances. It was hard for everyone, but it was a fact of life. David was so hard in thought that he practically jumped out of his skin when he heard a murmur nearby. "Kuro!" David stepped back, surprised at hearing the mutterer speak Japanese.

"You shouldn't be doing it. Look what we've done, brother," she muttered. "You're doing bad things to these people. You don't get it. Why? Why brother?" David realised she wasn't talking to him, and that she was likely thinking out loud, saying things she had no courage to say to this guy's face.

"You seem to take joy in other people's pain... You crave it; you say it's for the best... You say it's for the future! But why? ... Why must the future be built on suffering?"

"You should tell him that." David replied without thinking about it. The girl turned around, hair blowing in the slight breeze, watching as this boy... called out to her, not even caring why she needed it, just offering advice, it was wonderful. "If he's that bad, you should confront him, it's not that hard." David said thoughtfully. "My sister would. Probably,"

"..." the girl only looked on in slight awe. David looked at her clothes. She was wearing a woollen black sweatshirt and a pleated skirt over what appeared to be a pair of black tights. Her shoes, too, were black and her face was framed with black hair. She was obviously a funeral-goer.

"Come on, let's go." David said, gesturing her to follow. She gasped, but she didn't pull away. Maybe it was pure shock, but even though this stranger was taking her to a place she knew she didn't have to go, she didn't leave. Maybe it was her rebellious streak. Who was she rebelling from? She sighed. Of course it was _him_, who else…? "You are going to the funeral, right?"  
>"Oh…" the girl paused. "Yes,"<p>

X x x

Deep stared at his reflection in the fountain. He was all alone. This time last year, the reflection had someone beside it, but now, his own solemn blue eyes stared back. He could hear it in his head her voice, her laugh, see her smile, feel her embrace... and still see that... that grotesque writing... He was completely alone. He sighed, grabbing a spare cent from his pocket. It wasn't a penny, like the British threw, but it was something. He flipped it in, tipping his head to the soft splash. He shut his eyes and made a wish. This wish he would make come true himself. No matter what. "It'll be alright..." Sorcerermon soothed.

X x x

"I can't believe I lost him!" Alison wailed to herself. "He must've entered a digital field to make me lose the trail! Ohh!" She dragged her Converse against the ground, kicking the pavement in pure annoyance. She flipped her hair, allowing her ponytail to be taken by the breeze. She strode slowly and made a childish 'upset face' as she approached the flats, but to her surprise, there was someone outside. Someone she knew.

Zhane was kneeling beside his bike, using a wrench. He was doing it with… Wrench-like precision. It figured that he was a gear-head. He seemed the type, too.

"Zhane," Alison said, pretending to be heartbroken. "Deepy lost me, and now I'm so _bored_!" Deep would be _so _jealous when he learnt she'd been out with this guy! SO. JEALOUS. "So, could you, like, take me out to the Funfair? Mend my broken heart?"

"Pass" was the boy's only response, not looking up to see her reaction, but waving his hand all the same. "It would be nice. But no," Zhane said, continuing his wrench-using. His dark eyes were firmly planted on the sleek machine in front of him, mouth twisted into a little, confused slash.

"But Zhaney!" Alison cried, tears forming in her eyes. "Everyone is being so horrible to me, and I'm so scared, but I'm a good hunter I know I am… But even so… Maybe I'm not cut out for this! I should just die," she wailed, being completely fake, but it freaked Zhane out. He had a weak grin on his face, likely of disbelief that she was pulling him into this. "Please…"

"Oh…" Zhane said, dropping his wrench into the long, silvery tool bag beside him. "Fine! If I really, really must."

"Zhaney!" Alison cried, running over and throwing herself onto the bike's seat.

"Oh, God, careful!" Zhane cried. "I only just got my baby back," he said, stroking the thing's sleek, metallic surface. It may have been returned to him last year, but it still felt like last week. Even with the hunting, time was flying by. "So," he said, swinging his tool-bag up onto his shoulder. "Where's this funfair?"

"The centre of town. It's this really big thing for Valentine's. It was on one of those poster things on a lamppost." She recalled the poster well; virgin white with pink trimming and all over in hearts. The words were more of a blur, but maybe it was Alison's artistic side coming own that she only remembered the decorations. It had been made of cardboard, but meant nothing to Alison… until now.

"I'm not your Valentine, kid," Zhane said irritably, dumping the tools, calling a bullshit excuse to Hikari and Chase about his leaving and escorting Alison back to his bike.

"Well, of course not. Deep's my Valentine," Alison sighed, acting like it was simple.

"I thought you said he was being an absolute dick," Zhane said suspiciously, begrudgingly handing her a spare helmet. It was quite boringly plain black. Alison shrugged, sighing exaggeratedly as she got on the bike behind Zhane.

"Well, he was, but I still love him, obviously." Alison still thought it was simple. She had Zhane's head in loops.

"Hold on tightly," he sighed, getting that he wasn't going to get anywhere with trying to talk her out of the idea. Alison, however was utterly jubilant! She was getting a ride on a motorcycle, which was completely new to her, and she was going to make Deep jealous. And maybe get some candy!

It turned out one thing was good about the biker. He was a biker. Alison loved the rush of the wind and the awful fear that she could fall from the bike to her death… For some reason, it was a wonderful, sickening feeling. All the words that made sense tumbled from her head into the breeze and she laughed. She laughed because she felt just a little better on this bike. If only Deep was a biker…

"There is not a funfair here." Zhane said bluntly, folding his arms. Well, it was to be expected from the guy that announced—with shock—that she was female.

"I know," Alison said a little desperately, clutching the helmet. "I thought…" she wracked her brain, thinking back to the poster. What did it say? It said… _Fun with your Valentine_. Yup, it definitely said that, and _City Centre_, but Alison hadn't quite caught the date. Had it been the weekend before Valentine's? She started to cry in confusion, dropping the helmet.

"Don't cry again," Zhane said impatiently, tapping his foot against the ground. "Come on, Alison, you're what, twelve? You're not a kid."

"I'm fourteen!" she cried, sobbing harder. Zhane physically recoiled, muttering 'ouch' to himself. He put his hand behind his head, sighing.

"How about we go get some ice cream? Because you're a terror and won't take 'no' for an answer," he said, slightly through gritted teeth.

"Ice cream sounds good," Alison sniffed, retrieving the helmet. "Thanks, gear-head."

"Uh… No problem," Zhane said, questioning the reason for his strange new nickname as he dragged Alison back through the crowds towards his bike.

X x x

"Hey, Carly," Kyle said, as he and his Fiancée strolled slowly through a Scottish market. "You know what the best is for a cold Scottish day like this?"

"Oh, not this again," Carly sighed in amusement.

"A Deep-Fried Mars Bar! They're all the rage! Delicious, chocolaty snack… combined with yummy oily goodness!" Kyle said, lifting his hand to the sky as if describing something seriously complicated. Carly laughed, nudging him.

"Oh, Kyle! Deep-Fried anything is not romantic… Especially not Deep-Friend Mars Bars!" She clutched his hand tighter even so, giggling apologetically as Kyle's face momentarily fell.

"Oh," he said, trying to sound completely alright with it. "Right." He dragged Carly down a small street filled with stalls. There was a particularly good-looking one, with 'Deep-Fried Mars Bars!' on top, but Kyle loyally strode past it. Carly smiled as he cringed.

"You're a real card, Kyle, honest," she said, hugging him. "I know this shortcut to a really nice restaurant run by my friend Annalisa—you know her, right?" Kyle nodded vaguely. He was a genius, who won the Nobel prize before becoming a Penultima Kilo, but he could recite the Periodic Table of Elements better than his Fiancée' friends' names. Carly knew from their years of being together that this meant no. "Well, anyway, this is her uncle's place. I really took a shine to it! There are candles and hearts up right now for Valentine's Day, and…" she paused, freeing her hand from Kyle's for a moment to look at the shiny ring on her finger. "I kind of knew that you wouldn't plan anything. You're so dedicated to your work sometimes! But it's okay, because I got us a reservation there in your name. We can pretend you did it and everything," she chuckled.

"You know me too well, sweetheart," Kyle said, catching her hand again. "Go to that place—you take ninth, right?" Carly nodded, raising her eyebrows. "I'll be riiiight there, okay?"

"Oh, Kyle, you stupid man," she laughed, kissing him. "Get me one too, okay?" and then she strode off into the crowds, leaving Kyle blushing.

"R-right," he said, turning back purposefully. He heard an otherworldly laugh as he reached the stall and he smiled. "Could I have two, please?"

"Sure," the man at the stall said. "I saw you and that girl earlier—she's a keeper, letting you come back for this Deep-Fried crap!" and then he chortled himself. "Here. Have a nice day,"

"Oh, err, you too, sir!" Kyle said, turning back with his bounty. "Don't they look wonderful?" his eyes were sparkling. It was kind of sickening.

"You have problems, Kyle," sighed Greymon. Kyle stuck his tongue out, marching back down the alley, around through ninth to the restaurant; an admittedly large and welcoming-looking place.

"Alright, Kyle?" Carly asked, taking her 'Deep-Fried crap' suspiciously while Kyle chomped his lovingly, clearly in Seventh Heaven.

"That was a nice place," Kyle said hours later, walking back with Carly, all thoughts of Deep-Fried Mars Bars long gone from his head.

"Told you," Carly said teasingly. "It was so nice of you to get a reservation, too,"

"Wasn't it?" Kyle laughed, putting his arms around her. "Oh, Carls, what did I do to deserve you, sweetheart?" he balanced his head on top of hers, completely at peace.

"I look at myself in the mirror every day and think the same thing, darling," Carly said softly, putting her arms around his waist and hugging him.

"Mm…" Greymon said, making the pair jump. "Yes, Kyle's right…" he said slowly, as if deliberating something. "You two _are _pretty amazing together. But, Carly," he said, wondering if he'd overstepped the mark by using her given name. No-one said so, so he just continued. "You must never tell anyone about Kyle and I, or else _The Contractor_ will send someone after us all. And odds are it won't be a Nice Guy."

"Right, right, I got it," Carly said, hugging Kyle tightly. She wasn't really comfortable with this Hunter business, and Kyle had dodged round telling her just what he'd wished for, but at least he'd told her. She thought, right then, that she really did have the best Fiancé in the world.

X x x

Chase escorted Hikari to the dinner in the most gentle way possible, glad to have not been rejected once by his (_completely platonic_) idea. He smiled as the valet lead them both inside to their all-star seats. Hikari smiled weakly, tugging at her old t-shirt.

"Wow, I didn't expect the place to be this nice," she said, her voice a little quiet and shy. Chase smiled, taking the menu.

"Neither did I. It's good that it didn't end up being a rat-hole, though, I'd be embarrassed to have you with me. I mean, I wouldn't want you eating in a place like that," He said airily, looking through the meals. "Ah, should I let you see the menu first?"

"No," Hikari said stubbornly. "It's not like this is a _date_." Chase nodded, choosing a steak, and turned the menu over to Hikari.

"You want some soda, Hikari?" Chase asked. Hikari smiled and nodded, still a little worked up. Chase needed to lighten the mood and calm her down. She had to enjoy it! Chase sighed. Zhane would never let him live down what he was about to do

"Waiter," Chase said, and the young man came over, holding a note pad. "I-AM.-IRON-MAN!" he sung. The waiter cracked up, barely able to keep hold of his pad, and Hikari was tittering as well. "What? It's true! I am," he said for Hikari's benefit.

"Okay, Iron Man," laughed the waiter. "What'll it be?" Chase told the waiter their orders, turning back to Hikari.

"What was with the Iron Man thing?" She asked, clearly amused.

"I decided that I wanted to be Iron Man," Chase said, but she was completely unconvinced. "Fine. I wanted to cheer you up a bit… Don't take this too seriously, okay?"

"Right," Hikari said, smiling.

"Oh, I should turn my D-Spacer onto silent…" Chase retrieved it, noticing he had a message from Zhane. He wondered why he "went out for plant oil" earlier, smiling to himself.

_Hows the d8 go'n?_

"…" Chase's face was going red. Hikari couldn't tell whether it was embarrassment or rage. "ZHANE!" he suddenly yelled.

"What's up, Chase-Kun?" Hikari asked softly.

"Zhane," Chase said, getting hold of his temper. "Zhane will be 'up' and he will be 'down' and he will be all over the walls because my pure rage will make him fucking _spontaneously combust_!" he said, losing his temper again.

"Um…" Hikari smiled at him weakly. She was well aware that loads of people were staring at them. He, however, was not. "Is Zhane-Kun saying that this is a date?" she paused, remembering the little escapade before they'd gone out to the restaurant. "Again?"

"Well, of course," Chase sighed, smiling. "He's such a dick sometimes."

"Don't worry Chase," Hikari smiled. "Just enjoy the here and now. Zhane can combust later. Let's talk as friends, eh?"

"Yeah," Chase said, smiling. "Ironman likes that idea."

The starter was admittedly a bit lacklustre; chicken with meagre dipping sauce, but at least the two could talk about recent events while waiting for their Main and sipping on the umpteenth Cola.

"So, what do you think of everyone?" Chase said, wondering when the last time they got to talk like this was. It couldn't be as far back as New Year's, could it?

"They're complicated, and I don't quite understand them," Hikari admitted. "But that makes them challenging. And they're all very unique. You have nice friends… Well…"

"You don't like Alison, huh?" Chase asked, raising his eyebrows as he drained his glass. Hikari blushed, getting flustered.

"No, no, I like her plenty," she defended. "It's just… She's so…"

"You two are polar opposites. It's okay not to like her, Hikari," Chase said, waving over the teenage waiter and handing him the glass.

"You got it, Iron Man," he said before heading back towards the kitchen. Chase laughed despite himself.

"No, no, it's just… Well, she's… I guess…" Even though this was Chase, her friend, Hikari was still having trouble opening up to him. She'd never had this much trouble, and over something as simple as Alison's Crush on Deep disconcerting her slightly, at least. Chase was different, somehow. Maybe it was his ability to read her mind. That reminded her; he hadn't done that lately. Or mentioned it. "Hey, have you read my mind lately?" She still found that idea repulsive.

"No," Chase said. "Not since December. Why?"

"Oh…" Hikari said in surprise. "Why not?" Though this news did relieve her; her thoughts were her own, it did occur to her why he hadn't.

"Because I grew to respect you. You earned your right to your thoughts being private," Chase said, nodding at (he took a quick look at the nametag, killing the flow) Theodore. He took a draft of the new drink before continuing. "It sucks to have to earn that kind of thing, I know, but even so, you did it."

"Oh… That's great, I guess," Hikari said, smiling as their meals came along. "I'm hungry, now. You?"

"Ravenous."

X x x

Hikari and Chase got back shortly after David. They were still in high spirits, exchanging some really odd things that their friends had said. Hikari didn't have too many, but Chase was a goldmine of them. The pair exchanged sighs when they saw the sour look on everyone's faces.

"Oh, Chase," David said. "Right on time,"

"What now?" Chase sighed, closing the door and falling back onto the couch beside Deep. Alison cried out in indignation (she had been relegated to the chair for more reasons than one), but no-one really cared about that.

"I met one of the members of San Chikara earlier." David said grimly. Hikari didn't know who that was, but she knew what it _meant_.

"San Chikara," she repeated. "Power Trio,"

"Exactly," David sighed. "They're a team of three hunters. They're some of the best hunters, even better than Arakawa, and I bumped into one of them. He had a thing for yellow, and he told me that the Rose Garden Field—that one from a few weeks ago—has reopened. I was pretty annoyed that we didn't locate it first."

"Damn," Chase hissed. "Alright. What do we do about this?"

"Well, we've got an extra Hunter now. Maybe we can beat this thing once and for all now," said David. "Alison got a lot of DigiMemories, so don't roll your eyes. It's late now, anyway. I've gotta get home. We'll sort it tomorrow okay?

... ... ...

Actually, screw it. I'll stay here tonight"

"I KNEW IT!" Zhane said triumphantly pointing his finger at David

"Yeah," Chase sighed, unable to make his brain work with clarity. "Let's… Sleep on it."

"Right. See you tomorrow," called David, heading to bed.

Chase sighed, putting his head in his hands. That was supposed to be his field. his responsibility.

_Damn it._

**Next Time: **Chase here! That field's evolved past anyone's imagination! We're all terrified of this Florist's Dream turned Nightmare, and now, all of our own dreams will be haunted! The Slave Drives terrify us all and the background is garishly unfitting, but on the bright side we're half-way through Book I with more shocks, something that rhymes and something else to come! (Damn I'm bad at this) Join us all in "Forbidden Secret Garden! Chase's Decisive Battle in the Garden of Roses!"

**This will be the last Episode added to , we need the DigiCode to continue.**

**Our new home can be found at:**

**h t t p : / / d i g i m o n – r e w r i t e . s e r v e b l o g . n e t **

**Just Remove the spaces!**


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